La Fiorentina's Nicola Calamari Clams Up

​On Wednesday, we gave you the goods on Nicola Calamari, executive chef at La Fiorentina. Yesterday, we asked Calamari to finish a few sentences for us. Today, he shares a recipe for pasta with clams. The recipe follows after the jump.

Fresh Hand-Crafted Tagliolini Vongole
15 fresh Manila clams
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 pinch of dry pepper flakes
2 ounces white wine
4 ounces clam juice
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1.5 ounces European butter
7 roasted cherry tomatoes
6 ounces of tagliolini pasta, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta.

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Heat olive oil and add garlic. Add fresh Manila clams

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Add pepper flakes, then clam juice, then chopped parsley. Cook for three minutes. Add white wine. Clams will begin to open. Next add cherry tomatoes.​

Sauté for several minutes and then add butter.

​When butter is fully incorporated, add the cooked pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The tagliolini at La Fiorentina is made in-house. You can certainly make your own or purchase anything from the handmade to the grocery store brand. But the better the pasta...