Spaghetti alle Vongole

This dish is so simple, and so tasty!

Ingredients for 2 people:
1 Shallot
1 Clove garlic
1 sharp knife
Olive oil
400g can Italian chopped tomatoes
1 small jar Italian clams (vongole) in brine (appx 150 grams)
Chopped parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: 2 good quality anchovy fillets
Optional: Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Cooking time:
Pasta, 15 minutes
Sauce: 15 minutes

Pasta:
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water "al dente" then drain.

 Sauce:
In a saucepan, on low heat, warm up some olive oil
Add optional anchovy fillets
Add garlic and finely chopped shallot and cook until transparent
Turn up heat, add clams , cook for 1 minute
Add chopped tomatoes, remove garlic
Add optional cherry tomatoes
Bring sauce to boil, and then turn down heat to a minimum
Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (until pasta is ready)
Add salt & pepper to taste.

Drain pasta, & toss it into the sauce, garnish with chopped parsley & serve.

Wine: Any dry White, any light Red

Photo pinched from the internet (sorry, the food was snapped up before i could take a pic):

Buon Appetito!

Pasta all'Amatriciana

Quick, Easy, Tasty.

Ingredients for 4 people, or 2 people plus 2nds, 3rds
- 500g Bucatini, or spaghetti (400g is enough, but what do you do with the remaining 100g?)
- Olive oil (Optional)
- 180g flat fat pancetta (or guanciale if you can find it)
- 2 X 400g cans of italian chopped or peeled tomatoes (preferably neopolitan)
- 100ml dry white wine (Frascati is best, but any dry white will do)
- Good quality Pecorino cheese
- Salt
- Fresh chili or chili flakes (optional)

Ok, lets get started, this will be ready in 15 minutes:

- Boil pasta in salted water until "al dente" then drain
*Add the salt to the water before the pasta so will absorb a bit of the salt while cooking*

While waiting for the water to boil & the pasta to cook:
- Using a knife, cut pancetta into pieces the size of a matchstick, (these will stick to the cooked pasta)
- Heat a large pan, add pancetta & optional chili flakes, and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes
- Add the white wine, let simmer until wine evaporates. Remove the pancetta from the pan & cover
- Pour the tomatoes into the pan with the pancetta juices and cook for 5 minutes

- Chefs Note: How to get someone to grate the pecorino for you:
   Offer one of your guests some wine, and ask them to grate the cheese while you pour it for them

When pasta is ready:
- Scoop the pancetta back into the pan, & mix in 1/2 the grated pecorino
- Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce
- sprinke with remaining pecorino & serve it from the pan at the table

Variations:
Really, this is so tasty, and so simple, so no variations, can't think of any!

Complimentary wines:
- White: Frascati, Red: Sangiovese
- Any other wine of your choice, really, any will do as long as you like it!

This is what its supposed to look like:
(Photo being developed)