I’m new to pasta making so let’s just talk about the elephant in the room here: You’ll see in the video and photos I did use a giant butcher knife to cut the dough. I know it looks CRAZY! But it did the job and I have since then acquired the correct utensil, a very handy dough scraper/cutter. Phew, anyways, this dish will really blow your mind for so many reasons. It’s super fun to work with pasta on the gnocchi board and create your own shapes. It will take you back to being six years old playing with play-dough. Even better though because you get to eat what you’re making. Do yourself a favor and give yourself lots of free time to make this pasta and I promise you will have lots of relaxing pasta filled fun.
It’s the creamy sauce is simple to make. You can’t go wrong with anything garlic and white wine related. The flavors just shine effortlessly with any kind of seafood. I tried out a saffron based pasta dough because the idea of bringing eggs onto a hot beach didn’t seem smart to me. I also just loved the idea of trying something different. Most pasta recipes use eggs and olive oil instead of saffron water. Now you know that saffron water creates an equally amazing, vibrant pasta! Save those eggies for tomorrows break-y.
PREP TIME: 30 mins COOK TIME: 10 mins TOTAL TIME: 40 mins
EQUIPMENT: Gnocchi board, Cutting board, Medium knife, Small jam jar, Dough scraper,1 fork, 1 small knife, Rolling pin, Large bowl,Fabric cloth towel,measuring cups, Medium sized pot for boiling, Pasta strainer, Medium sized cast iron
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of fresh Manila clams, scrubbed and washed
- 1 cup dry white wine, I used riesling
- ½ cup Fresh parsley
- Four cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons of butter (salted)
- ¼ cup of capers, drained
- 1 Tablespoon Chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese
- The fresh juice of one large lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Measure out 100ml of water into a jam jar. Take a large pinch of saffron and mix it into the water. Leave it to soak overnight. The next day take out the saffron threads and shake the jar until you have an even golden color.
- Carefully measure out your semolina flour into a bowl. Pour into a mound onto your cutting board.
- Using your measuring cup, make a bowl shaped crevice into the middle of your flour before pouring the saffron water into it.
- Using your fork, carefully mix the liquid with the dry by scraping dry ingredients into the liquid and incorporating them together very slowly. You should have a ball of dough.
- Knead the dough for a good ten minutes with the back of your palm. Stretch the dough in half and fold it onto itself. If the dough gets too sticky, add a pinch of flour to your board. Vice versa, if the dough gets too dry: add a little bit of water at a time until your left with a pliable soft durable dough.
- Press your thumb into the ball and if it bounces back it’s ready to be put back into your big bowl and covered with a cloth for thirty minutes.
- Take your dough ball out of the bowl and cut it in half using your dough scraper. Roll the dough into a long snake like rope. Using your dough scraper, make one inch cuts into the rope forming little pasta pillows.
- Take a pasta pillow and rub it between your hands forming worm shaped noodle. Do this for every pillow until you have all your shapes formed.
- Now, take a noodle and using a small knife, gently roll it onto your gnocchi board, giving the pasta shape ridges. Do this with all the noodles. Make sure to flour every surface so the pasta shapes don’t stick too much.
- Chop your garlic and parsley.
- Take your medium sized pot and add your water and a handful of salt. Bring it to a boil. Add your pasta and let it cook for five minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, melt the butter. Saute your garlic. Add in capers, lemon juice, fresh chopped parsley and clams. Top it off with the white wine.
- Drain the pasta and add it to your clams and white wine sauce. Mix well.
- Place it in a shallow bowl and top with more chili flakes, parmesan cheese and more fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Check out the video:
