Recipe courtesy of Bruce Kalman

Linguine alla Chitarra with Clams, Guanciale and Pea Tendrils

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 5 min
  • Active: 45 min
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Pasta Dough:

Pasta Sauce:

Directions

Special equipment:
Chitarra or other pasta machine
  1. For the pasta: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, semolina and salt and pile up in the center of the bowl. Create a shallow well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg. Beat the egg and oil together with a fork. Using a plastic spatula, stir the egg and slowly incorporate into the flour. Mix until the dough ball forms, then remove from the bowl and place the dough on a clean work surface.
  2. Knead the dough into a smooth dough ball, about 10 minutes. Immediately wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap to avoid drying out. Rest the dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using.
  3. Cut the pasta to linguine size using a chitarra or other pasta machine.
  4. For the sauce: In a medium saucepot, add the olive oil and guanciale and cook over medium heat to render the fat from the guanciale until it starts to turn light brown.
  5. Add the garlic, oregano, crushed pepper and basil, and mix; cook until the garlic is fully cooked through and the herbs are infused in the oil. Add the clams, stock and wine, and increase to high heat; cover with a lid to steam open the clams, 3 to 4 minutes. As soon as the clams open, remove from the heat to avoid overcooking; remove all of the clams from the pot and reserve the sauce. Remove half of the clams from their shells and add to the sauce.
  6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, about 3 minutes.
  7. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat to allow the pasta to soak up some of the sauce, then add the lemon juice and pea tendrils. Toss, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.
  8. To plate, twist the pasta and place in the center of the plate, then top with the remaining sauce. Place the clams in the shells on top and garnish with a few fresh opal basil leaves, some herb flowers, a drizzle of Ligurian olive oil and Calabrian chile oil and shavings from the mullet bottarga.