Spaghetti Clams & Zucchini Cream

Dinner on Christmas Eve, La Vigilia di Natale, in Italy is a fish meal. It begins with Pasta con le Vongole e Zucchine, a tradition in our family.

-serves 4-

500gr clams

500gr spaghetti

4 medium zucchini

4 clove garlic

16 Tbsp olive oil

Salt

Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high.

In a large pot, heat 8 Tbsp olive oil, add clams and cover. Let it cook for approx 10 min, until all the clams will open. Let it cool off. Unshell half of the clams. Place them in a bowl and cover with the filtered liquid released by the clams. Very tasty. Keep the other half in shell.

Peal off the zucchini skin and thinly stripe it. Collect the zucchini skin in a non sticky pan with 4 Tbsp olive oil and gently sautee for 5 minutes, just until tender.

Chop the remaining zucchini in a pot, add the garlic and 1/3 of the volume in water. Boil high flame and covered for no more than 10 minutes or just about the zucchini start to soften.

Blend the zucchini with 4 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water and cook it al dente, still firm to the bite. I cook it half of the time it shows on the pasta box! In a non-stick pan add the clam water and drain in the pasta. Finish to cook on high flame.

Add the zucchini cream and the unshelled clams and and stir.

Serve each plate garnishing with zucchini stripes and shelled clams.