Spaghetti cooked risotto-style with vongole and roasted cherry tomatoes

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2

For the roasted cherry tomatoes, place all the ingredients on the baking tray and toss to combine. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then roast for 45 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and slightly blistered. Set aside to cool.

Step 3

Drain the vongole, then rinse well and drain again. Set aside.

Step 4

Heat olive oil in a large, deep frypan (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Cook parsley stalks, garlic and chilli, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour in the wine and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the vongole, cover with a lid and steam for 2-3 minutes until just opened. As the shells open, remove with tongs and set aside in a bowl – be careful not to overcook them or they’ll go rubbery.

Step 5

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, then cook spaghetti for 1 minute or until just softened. Remove spaghetti from the saucepan (reserving the cooking water), then add spaghetti to the frypan with enough cooking water to cover – about 2 cups (500ml). Cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until al dente, adding more cooking water if needed – stirring the pasta will release the starch and will help thicken the sauce. Season to taste, keeping in mind that vongole are quite salty, so you won’t need to add a lot of salt.

Step 6

Remove the spaghetti from the heat, then add the roasted tomatoes and cooked vongole, along with any cooking or resting juices, and gently toss to combine. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve immediately.