Words by Colu Henry. Photo by Tara Donne.
My friend and fellow cookbook author Carla Lalli Music and her family rented the same house in Montauk for many years and, many a late July, Chad and I would drive to join them for a summer dinner. Carla and I met working in the magazine world and have been close for more than a decade now. Our real bond came about when we realized that our families hail from the same part of Italy, a small province about an hour outside of Naples called Avellino, where basil and tomatoes grow with abandon. We made a version of these clams together one summer night and drank Campari and sodas barefoot on the deck. I encourage you to do the same.
Clams Avellino
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh chile pepper, such as cayenne or serrano, thinly sliced, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1¼ pounds 570 g heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved if large
- ¾ cup 180 ml dry white wine
- 4 pounds 1.8 kg littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed
- 1 cup 40 g loosely packed fresh basil leaves (torn if large)
- Toasted or grilled bread, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot with a lid or a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and the chile pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is just golden and everything is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to burst and become jammy, 5 to 7 minutes, pressing down on them with a spatula or spoon gently to help them along if needed.
- Stir in the white wine, add the clams, and raise the heat to bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams pop open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened. Scatter the clams with basil leaves and serve straight from the pot on the table or spoon into bowls with plenty of toasted or grilled bread on the side for sopping.
Notes
Excerpted with permission from Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food by Colu Henry, published by Abrams, February 2022.