Spaghetti with clams in white or spaghetti with clams in red, that's the problem. Let's try to solve it together.
Among the debates that divide Campania (and not) more than anything else, there is one that undoubtedly stands out from all of them, and which could only refer to the timeless ones. Spaghetti with Clams.
Friendships for life are in danger because of you pomodorino that hides between one spaghetti and another. There are those who just can't admit it and those who can't live without it. Spot the recipe, but beware: there are more shades of red. Some people color clam spaghetti with two cherry tomatoes here and there, while others cook a real one. ketchup.
Do you make clam spaghetti with or without tomato?
Of course, all of this can be attributed to a question of personal taste, but we decided to go further: we asked a John Rota, our leader one Italian cooking school, analyze this dish with us to understand if, how and when to add the tomato.
Everything starts from plate structure, in which each ingredient plays its role: we tend to Dolce of pasta, the flavor of clams, thearomaticity parsley andacidity a little wine In this team, the tomato has the same mission as the wine, that is, to give complexity to the dish, softening the flavor with the acidity and adding aroma. At this stage, the addition of tomato is not purely "fundamental" to the success of the dish, but it remains a matter of taste and tradition.
Tomato in spaghetti with clams: how and when
So clam spaghetti in white or red? There is no right or wrong answer, but one to reign there are. This is the time to add the tomato: be it a San Marzano or a Pomodorino del Piennolo, better not to add it from the beginning. To prepare a plate of spaghetti with clams in an artisanal way, you must stop cooking the pasta in water for half the expected time or 2/3, then continue in the pan in the clam liquid, obtaining the famous cream. If the tomato were present right away, it would slow down laughter pasta, making it difficult for the spaghetti to absorb the liquid from the clams.
Ideally, bleach the Tomato San Marzano for a few seconds in boiling water, stop cooking in the ice cream, peel it, seed it and add it in pieces in the last two minutes of mixing. In this way, you will provoke the palate a bit, or simply give the dish a little more color, occasionally finding the tomato between one fork and the other. Tomato can also be cooked separately, with a quick stir fry, and then added to the pan. If, on the other hand, you want a more decided and more linked tomato flavor, you can add a few tablespoons of ketchup.
It only remains to make sure that all the guests agree ... but be careful not to argue with those who order Parmesan.
