Orzo alle Vongole
A brothy seafood staple in southern Italian cuisine featuring orzo and beautifully briny clams.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 dozen littleneck clams, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 4 anchovy filets or a tablespoon of capers
- 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup of dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- 3 cups of stock (seafood, vegetable or chicken)
- 8 ounces of dried orzo
- 8 ounces of clam juice (or additional stock)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- lemon wedges (garnish)
- fresh parsley, finely chopped (garnish)
Instructions
- If using fresh clams, soak them in cool salt water for an hour and then scrub and rinse them. Place them in a clean bowl and set aside until you are ready to steam them (if using frozen clams, steam them frozen, no need to thaw)
- Bring 3 cups of stock to a simmer, add 8 ounces of orzo, cover and cook until tender (10-12 minutes)
- Place a large pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 5 large finely minced garlic cloves and 4 anchovy fillets or a tablespoon of capers
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently
- As soon as the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies or capers are broken down, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, a cup of white wine and the clams
- Cover the pot and steam the clams until they open
- As the clams open, transfer them into a bowl and keep the bowl covered with a towel to trap the heat inside (discard any clams that haven’t opened after about 8 minutes)
- Once all of the clams have been transferred out of the pot, reduce the heat to medium low and add 8 ounces of clam juice, 2 tablespoons of butter and the cooked orzo
- Remove most of the clams from their shells and add them into the pot (reserve some in the shell for garnishing)
- Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges
- Serve with crusty bread