Linguine Vongole with Fermented Chilli Butter

Name: Linguine Vongole with Fermented Chilli Butter
Prep time: 22 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4, 4
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic; 4 stems kale; 200 g tomato; 4 stalks parsley; 4 tbs olive oil; 2 tbs gochujang; 2 tbs doubanjiang; 50 g butter; 1/2 tsp salt; 500 g linguine; 1/2 cup vermouth; 1 kg clams; 1/2 cup green peas; 1/2 tsp black pepper

By Jonathan Louis Ng

September 10, 2024

Fermented chilli butter gives the classic vongole a kick of spice.

pasta,italian

ServingsMakesDifficultyActive TimeTotal Time

intermediate

50m

This was inspired by a fermented chilli butter mafaldine I had at an art gallery in Sydney, of all places. I wanted to take the fermented chilli butter sauce and pair it with a aglio olio-vongole mashup I had made the previous week. Butter and chilli are classic pairings for clams. I also added tomato and vermouth for their sweetness and acidity to balance the spice and fat, while the parsley and green peas add a pop of colour and bright earthiness.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic
4 stems kale
200 grams tomato
4 stalks parsley
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons doubanjiang
50 grams butter
0.5 teaspoons salt
500 grams linguine
0.5 cups vermouth
1 kilogram clams
0.5 cups green peas
0.5 teaspoons black pepper

Nutrition

Per serving (serves 4)

High protein

High fibre

High saturated fat

High cholesterol

High sodium

Calories
1009

Protein
61 g

Fat
31 g

Carbs
118 g

Instructions

1. 1
  Chop garlic. Tear off the kale leaves and chop them roughly. Cut the tomato into small dice. Separate the parsley stems and reserve. Chop the parsley leaves finely.
2. 2
  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
3. 3
  In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. 4
  Add the butter, gochujang and doubanjiang to the pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. 5
  Add the kale and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted, about 2 minutes.
6. 6
  Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until almost al dente. You will be finishing the pasta in the sauce.
7. 7
  To the pot with the kale and fermented butter mixture, pour in the vermouth and bring to a boil. Add the clams, green peas, chopped tomato, parsley stems, and black pepper and give it a quick toss. Cover the pot and cook until the clams open and are cooked through, about 7 minutes.
8. 8
  Scoop out the cooked clams mixture to another bowl, discarding the parsley stems, and leave the sauce in the pot.
9. 9
  Add the almost-cooked pasta to the remaining sauce and toss to coat and absorb the sauce. Mix through half of the clams mixture and chopped parsley leaves.
10. 10
  Serve the pasta, garnishing with the remaining clams mixture.
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 stems kale
- 200 grams tomato
- 4 stalks parsley
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons doubanjiang
- 50 grams butter
- 0.5 teaspoons salt
- 500 grams linguine
- 0.5 cups vermouth
- 1 kilogram clams
- 0.5 cups green peas
- 0.5 teaspoons black pepper