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Ellyse Randrup, Gathered Vongole

This is something that my mum cooks when we have a bunch of friends around, or something I cook for friends now.
I like it because its simple and cheap, if you are foraging for the cockles. If you buy the cockles they are usually not too pricey either.

At home we have a large pottery bowl, grey flecks with some midnight coloured strokes in the center. The edges are similar to a beehive, little steps on the outer surface that reach a wide circumference, perfect for serving a mass of pasta. It was a gift given years ago to my mum, we usually have our fruit in it on a corner table. Sometimes peoples misc. belongings of hats or sunglasses end up in it, or just a cloth on top to keep away fruit flies.

This meal was brought to our families attention when my father meet this Italian windsurfer who was camping with his wife and young baby. He offered that they come and camp out at our place.

While they stayed Veronica made us yum meals and shared them with my mum. It was a cosy time. Some recipes she wouldn’t share. One time I asked about these little breads and she vaguely escaped with a genuine ‘no’ to me, I was maybe around 7, I admired her for that. I also think maybe she couldn’t be bothered telling a 7 yr old how to make her grandmothers bread, I could tell she was busy preparing something. So I ran away with a bit of happy uncertainty from the interaction.

Thats not the dish I’m sharing with you, only setting the scene.

My family live on a tidal inlet, where we have the water streaming in maybe twice or once a day, depends. When the tide is out you can see families of mostly Maori or Pacifica gatherers and then maybe by chance a Pakeha (like myself when I return home) picking and sitting on the edge of the outgoing or incoming tide. You can tell they are not swimmers as they will have a bucket or Kete sitting or floating with them.

Veronica noticed these gatherers and said she will make Vongole.

Time: it’s quite quick. Maybe 20min?

Serving? 1 Packet of pasta for 6 or 2 1/2 Packets for 12 or more.

Ingredients

• Garlic (depends on how many friends are around, be generous 6/half or a whole bulb) sliced like slivered almonds > |||| < length wise 2mm
• Oil 3 TP (for lightly cooking the garlic, trick is, it should only be golden very lightly based doused in oil)
• Chili Flakes (some shakes of a jar, 1-2 teaspoon)
• Parsley stalks for the start and end leafs for the serve (a good 3 handfuls)
• White wine a cup or two (dry white wine)
• Cup or 2 of pasta water
• Cockles, Small little yum ones.
  (As many as you want really) (we normally do about half a classic bucket size )
• Lemon to serve at end (optional)
• Pasta, San Remo (egg) noodles style, skinny.
  Preference for you (though my family don’t like too thick of a pasta or else it will soak up all the liquid)
• 2 tablespoon of oil and salt for pasta.

Cockle gatherer note
If you have gathered them yourself as we do, you will need to let them spit in salt water for a day or overnight changing the salt water. Also rub off any barnacles or creatures that may appear on the cockles surface. Make sure there is a cockle organism inside the shell, sometimes it could merely be sand or mud. (Also don’t wash them with normal tab water, thats a general fish rule…)

Directions

Part 1

• Put the pasta on, with oil and salt on. Once the pasta is cooked before straining save two cups of pasta water for Part 2.

Part 2

• Either use a large cast iron or wok or big pot that has a lid
• Oil in
• Garlic in (lightly cook)
• Parsley stalks can be added after a minute or two or(optional) just add the leafs at the end when serving
• Cracked Pepper, flaky salt (both lightly)
• Chili in (flakes you can be generous now or later) fresh chillies can be used too also nice at the end. -
• Once Garlic is lightly bubbling in the oil and as we don’t want to over cook it, we can pour in the cup or two of pasta water.

p.s. this part can get quick.

• Let the sauce subdue for a bit and warm up, then bring the cockles in softly! I usually will then pour the Wine on the cockles.
• Cover with a lid.
• Now we let those cockles steam and open up. You shouldn’t lift the lid off for a few minutes. Stir the cast iron or pot by shaking and circling in a round motion over the element. You may open up after those few minutes to deeply move the unopened and opened cockles around. Keep a close eye on those cockles.
• If the lid is made of glass you can usually see the cockles open up. (*don’t eat cockles that have not opened up)
• Great, now you can pour the pasta (strained) into the cast iron or pot.
• I will usually strain the pasta, put some oil or butter and S & P in with pasta before softly pouring in with the cockle mix.
• Add all the Parsley and more chili now if you wish. More Pepper is good in this dish as well.
• Make sure you have enough liquid about 1 1/2 cups from viewing when mixed in with the pasta, spoon that out onto each plate when serving. Then you can have some bread on the side to soak up that yum clear salty liquid.
• You could always add more Pasta liquid and wine. It’s best to know your ratio of liquid and pasta I would add more liquid a few minutes before adding the pasta to the cockles if I feel don’t have enough.

Optional or alternatives with Vongole base if no cockles are about

• Sneaky anchovies and Capers if you want in with the garlic sauce at the start
• Fresh cherry tomatoes when you plate up.
• Mussels instead of cockles
• Rocket is nice to serve with on top.

I recently did a version of this for a German friend while isolating in Auckland City, I didn’t have any cockles but my sister had sent me some Smoked Kingfish.

This is how it went:
I made the same sauce as above with following substitutes – a handful anchovies (5+) & a few capers, I didn’t have any wine so free-styled it with some leftover liquids that I had in the pantry, a mix of vinegar and lemon juice + splash of Umeboshi as substitute (added up to about a cup size with some added anchovy liquid). Then I mixed the pasta in with the anchovies & liquid sauce. Tossed around a bit, added Parsley and broke up the Smoked fish with my hands into the pot at the end. This was a pretty yum version.

I usually will sneak a drizzle of good quality olive oil at the end to serve.

My friend said they did a similar pasta vongole though with sea asparagus (samphire). He said it looked beautiful with the pasta noodles and the samphire. They added Sardines and anchovies too.