Christmas in Italy – Linguine con le Vongole

Italy is next up on our tour of Christmas.

Christmas in Italy –

Christmas in Italy varies depending on locale. In some place, the Christmas celebration begins on Christmas Eve with a nice meal, others prefer a lighter meal, both are usually without meat. Christmas day, and the day after (Santo Stefano day) are days of feasting and celebration.

The homes and streets in Italy are not adorned like they are in the UK and US (and other parts of the world). What decorations there are use a winter theme – lots of snowflakes. The Italian celebration puts the emphasis on the celebration with family – feasting and spending time together.

Where does the Feast of the Seven Fishes come from?

The Christmas Eve feast is called La Vigilia. As with most Italian traditions, it depends on where you are. The one thing most of Italy has in common is the Christmas eve meal usually does not have any meat. The Roman Catholic Church’s tradition is to abstain from meat on the day before a feast day – and Christmas is a feast day!

In the early 1900s, the Italian immigrants to the U.S. celebrated Christmas Eve with the tradition of eating fish – either a big meal or a small supper. As time has passed though, it has evolved to a huge feast that most Italian Americans celebrate, but few celebrate the same in Italy.

There are many thoughts on where the tradition started. Since most of the Italian immigrants were from Southern Italy where La Vigilia was celebrated, it is surmised that this feast came from that tradition. It’s also unclear why the number seven was chosen. Many families today have 10 or 12 dishes!

This dish fits all three of the celebrations. It makes a perfect dish for one of the seven in the U.S. It’s also a perfect side dish in Italy for Christmas dinner, or for the small Christmas Eve meal.

And it’s easy to make – and delicious!

What is Linguine con le Vongole

This dish originated in Naples on the Italian coast. The first known recipe of this dish was in 1839. The Duke of Buonvicino wrote this simple recipe that was only five ingredients – spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, parsley and fresh clams. (Red pepper flakes came much later)

Historically the clams used were vongole verace – but any small clams (like littleneck or manilla) work.

And the dish has evolved to have two versions – a red, with tomato paste and onions, and a white – like this one that is close to the original. It’s a popular dish in Italian restaurants and often eaten at Christmas time.

Making the Dish

The first thing to do is clean the clams. Rinse them in cool water, them place them in a bowl of cool water with about 2-3 tablespoons of cornmeal.

Let them sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. This helps to get the sand out. Remove them from the water and rinse them off. Discard any that have opened.

The pasta is next. Cook it in salted, boiling water. When it is al dente, drain it, but save about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, the smashed garlic cloves, and 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley stems. Cook them gently for about 2 to 3 minutes, until it is fragrant.

Add the water and the wine. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, add the clams and cover, shaking periodically.

Cook for about five minutes.

Remove the clams from the water, discarding any that did not fully open. Strain the liquid and set it aside.

Remove the meat from half the clams and set them aside.

Wipe out the skillet.

Add the remaining olive oil (1/4 cup), the minced garlic, a little parsley, and the red pepper flakes to the pan.

Cook on medium until the oil is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the pasta, the rest of the parsley, clams, about 1/2 cup of pasta water and about 1/4 cup of the broth from the clams.

Simmer for about 10 minutes, letting the pasta soak up some of that broth. If the pasta seems too dry, add a little more pasta water.

Serve hot with clam broth on the side to dip the clam meat in.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

This recipe may sound complicated at first, but once you’ve done it once or twice, you won’t need the recipe again.

Enjoy!

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Linguine con le Vongola

A delicious pasta dish slathered with olive oil and garlic with delicious, fresh steamed clams. The steaming liquid makes a great dip for the clams.

Course: Main Course, main dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Italian

Keyword: clams, garlic, linguine, olive oil, parsley

Servings: 4 servings

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds small manilla clams
• 1/2 pound dry linguine
• 7 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley stems
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• cornmeal for cleaning clams

Instructions

1. The first thing to do is clean the clams. Rinse them in cool water, them place them in a bowl of cool water with about 2-3 tablespoons of cornmeal.

2. Let them sit for about 30 minutes to an hour. This helps to get the sand out. Remove them from the water and rinse them off. Discard any that have opened.

3. The pasta is next. Cook it in salted, boiling water. When it is al dente, drain it, but save about 1 cup of the pasta water. 

4. In a large skillet, heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, the smashed garlic cloves, and 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley stems. Cook them gently for about 2 to 3 minutes, until it is fragrant.

5. Add the water and the wine. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, add the clams and cover, shaking periodically.

6. Cook for about five minutes.

7. Remove the clams from the water, discarding any that did not fully open. Strain the liquid and set it aside.

8. Remove the meat from half the clams and set them aside. 

9. Wipe out the skillet.

10. Add the remaining olive oil (1/4 cup), the minced garlic and the red pepper flakes to the pan.

11. Cook on medium until the oil is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

12. Add the pasta, parsley, clams, about 1/2 cup of pasta water and about 1/4 cup of the broth from the clams.

13. Simmer for about 10 minutes, letting the pasta soak up some of that broth. If the pasta seems too dry, add a little more pasta water.

14. Serve hot with clam broth on the side to dip the clam meat in. 

Recipe Notes

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

 

Buon natale! – Merry Christmas

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