Clamtastic

Monday, 25th July.

After a scorcher of a day at the beach we decided to eat in at our apartment tonight.

Inspired by the clams from our first restaurant, I headed first to the previously mentioned local market just around the corner. Unfortunately it would appear that Monday isn't fish day at this particular market and all that was on offer was an admitted impressive array of fruit and veg. The aroma of the peaches was spectacular in itself.

Not to be put off, I ventured on to the local supermarket down the road, returning with a bulb of garlic, a baby leek, a packet of spaghetti, a chorizo, some fresh parsley, olive oil and a large bag of fresh clams from the fish counter. Oh, and a couple of fresh crusty bread rolls from the bakery.

So to dinner. Ably assisted by The Pookster, I sautéd the finely chopped leek and garlic in plenty of olive oil then added the thinly sliced chorizo, releasing the lovely paprika redness into the oil.

Meanwhile, I cooked the spaghetti in a large pan of salted boiling water. With just a few minutes to go, I added the clams to the chorizo until they opened, releasing their juice into the sauce.

After draining the spaghetti, I tipped the clams, chorizo and sauce over the pasta, stirring it through and added a good handful of chopped parsley.

I served this up with some garlic bread that The Missus had knocked up by slicing and toasting the crusty bread before rubbing with a fat garlic clove and drizzling with olive oil, and some very crisp local white wine.

Whilst I didn't have a chance to stop and take a picture of the finished article, it's definitely one I'll be cooking again and deserves a place in The Bloke archives.