Gennaro's Pasta of Land and Sea

Isn't it always exciting when you know you have special ingredients in the fridge and you get to cook them today!

Yep, I most definitely am.

Yesterday I watched Gennaro Contaldo make it on the BBC Good Food Show Stage at Bluewater and I really wanted to recreate it for myself. So I went and bought all the ingredients there and then, told Gennaro that I am going to cook his dish as he signed his book for me, about which he and I were very pleased.

I believe he used Wild Boar Panchetta, because when he explained the name of the dish, he said 'it's the Clams from the Sea and the Wild Boar, Tomatoes, Basil ect. from the Land'.

I haven't had time to source this fabulous ingredient this time, so have substituted with a Wild Boar Salami and an award winning smoked Bacon, which should build the rich flavour that I am looking for. The recipe I am using here is my recreated version of what I saw at the show.

Ingredients:

(serves 2 @ 9 Weightwatchers points)

25g Smoked Bacon, cut into lardons

25g Wild Boar Salami, sliced very thinly then cut into strips

7 Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced

1 long red Chilli, sliced

14 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

2 Garlic Cloves, sliced thinly

about 30 fresh Clams

a small handful fresh Basil, torn

The Pasta:

100g Double Zero plain Flour

1 Egg

To make the Pasta simply combine the Egg with the flour, mix well together, then kneed into a dough. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge.

When you're ready to make the pasta, flour your working surface, rolling pin and pasta machine if you're using it. Roll out the dough to make it a little flatter and so that it fits the machine, Then starting on the highest setting, roll the dough through the pasta machine several times. This will make it smooth and silky.

Fold the dough a few times as you go. Once you're happy with the consistency, start making the rollers smaller, one notch at a time and roll the dough trough stage by stage.

Once it's nice and thin cut along the sides to straighten out the edges, then roll it through the cutting blade of the machine to make Tagliatelle,

Separate the strands with a little dusting of flour. These will take only a couple of minutes in boiling salted water to cook and will finish in the Sauce where they will absorb some of the juices and flavour.

To make the Sauce, fry the bacon in the olive oil for a minute then add the mushrooms and sauté for a minute more, then the Garlic goes in along with the Wild Boar Salami, Tomatoes and Chilli. I have put my clams in the freezer for 5 minutes to make them go 'to sleep' before adding them to my pan now.

Cover with a lid and let them steam open.

Clams contain a lot of their own juice so I am not adding any water or wine to it. But if there is no liquid then add a splash of wine also.

The seasoning should be good from the bacon and Wild Boar, but check and add a little salt only if necessary.

Cook the Pasta at the same time as the sauce and add the Pasta straight in, once the clams have started to open. Add the Basil also at this point, then cover again and leave to finish cooking for another minute or two.

And there you have it, my recreation of Gennaro Cantaldo's Pasta of Sea and Land, so delicious I ate all of it even though it's meant to be for 2 people. Though to be honest I would have rather shared it, with someone I love.