Fresh Basil Pasta with Homegrown Basil
Elevate Your Pasta Game: Delicious Homemade Basil Vongole Recipe
I’ve been growing basil lately, and I waited weeks to finally harvest some to make this pasta! I decided to make a Vongole pasta and added my fresh basil, and it turned out absolutely spectacular! Trust me and give this recipe a try.
Ingredients- 1 serving pasta
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- About 15 clams or carpet-shell clams
- Pinch of black pepper
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves
- 3-4 dried chili peppers (peperoncino or Korean chili)
- 1/4 onion
- A little chicken stock or seafood broth (if needed)
- 1 Tbsp coarse salt (for boiling pasta)
- 3-4 shrimp (optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s boil the pasta. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to a generous amount of boiling water and cook the pasta for just 5 minutes. You want to cook it al dente, meaning it’s still firm to the bite. Once par-cooked, drain the pasta and toss it with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
Step 2
In a wide pan, heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat. Add thinly sliced garlic and gently infuse the oil with its aroma. If you’re using frozen whole garlic cloves like I did, you might need to cook them a little longer to release their flavor.
Step 3
Once the garlic turns golden and fragrant, add the dried chili peppers (peperoncino or Korean chili) and stir-fry them to infuse the oil with a bit more flavor and heat. Be cautious if using very spicy chilies like Korean ones; avoid crushing them, or the dish can become overwhelmingly hot.
Step 4
After the chili aroma has nicely permeated the oil, add the thinly sliced onion and sauté it along with the garlic and chilies until the onion becomes translucent and slightly softened.
Step 5
You can add shrimp at this stage if you’re using them. It doesn’t matter if you add them with the clams or later; feel free to include them for extra protein and flavor.
Step 6
Next, add the clams or carpet-shell clams to the pan and stir-fry quickly. Once the clams start to open, add a splash of chicken stock or seafood broth if you feel the dish needs more liquid or flavor. Don’t worry if the bottom of the pan gets a little scraped; that’s where the delicious fond is! If the clams don’t release enough liquid, you can add a little water.
Step 7
When most of the clams have opened, add the par-cooked pasta to the pan and toss everything together. Since the pasta was only boiled for 5 minutes, it needs to cook in the sauce for at least another 5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to your desired consistency. This allows the pasta to absorb all the wonderful flavors. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add a bit more water to continue cooking the pasta until it’s perfectly done.
Step 8
Finally, the star of the show! Tear the fresh basil leaves roughly and scatter them over the pasta. Turn off the heat and gently toss everything together to allow the basil’s aroma to meld with the dish. Finish with a grind of black pepper. Your delicious Basil Vongole Pasta is ready!
Step 9
Voila! Here’s the beautifully plated Basil Vongole Pasta. Enjoy the incredible combination of fresh basil and savory clams.
Step 10
Pro Tip: For a richer texture and better sauce adherence, consider using wider pasta shapes like linguine or fettuccine. Enjoy your meal!
