Eating In: Celeste's Pasta alle Vongole

The Michelin coverage over the past week makes Gothamist appreciate the local neighborhood standbys where we do our best eatiing. The five Michelin inspectors that reviewed NYC restaurants over the course of one year probably never had the chance (or desire) to eat at the everyday restaurants New Yorkers think are great.

As a result, some of our favorite everyday restaurants will never be worthy of a star. That might just be a good thing - New Yorkers get to keep their local favorites to themselves.

A Gothamist favorite that will never get a star, or even a listing in the guide, is Celeste . A bustling and crammed Upper West side favorite, Celeste is all about doing the simple, affordable Italian food most of us love.

Gothamist Recipe

Pasta alle Vongole
clams, pancetta, parsley, garlic

You can use fresh clams and serve them in the shell with the pasta or you can buy fresh chopped or frozen clams if you have a good source.

Ingredient Shopping List
Recipe serves two people.

1 box spaghetti, linguini dry pasta
extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds littleneck or Manila clams, scrubbed and rinsed well or 1 cup chopped clams fresh or frozen
1 lemon
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ lb pancetta
parmigiano reggiano (optional)

Estimated cost of ingredients: $15 at Fairway

Prep the Ingredients

Chop two large cloves garlic. Chop handful of parsley, about two tablespoons worth. Cube about ½ cup of pancetta. If using clams in shell, scrub and rinse sand from shells. If using chopped clams, pick through to make sure there aren’t any shells. If using frozen chopped clams, place in a strainer and run under cold water to defrost.

Boil the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add ½ box of pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until "al dente”. Make the below sauce while waiting for pasta to boil so you can strain the pasta and place it directly into the below pan with the sauce.

Make the Sauce

Place a large pan with sides on medium heat. Add a touch of olive oil and place the pancetta in the pan and brown both sides, about two minutes each side. Take the pancetta out of the pan and reserve on paper towels. Drain the fat from pan. Place pan on medium heat and add a decent amount olive oil to the pan, about 1/8 cup. Place chopped garlic, a sprinkle of chili flakes to the pan. After a minute, add the clams to the pan. If you are using chopped frozen or fresh, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and sauté for only one minute. (If using clams in shell, add the clams after sautéing garlic, along with squeeze of lemon juice . Cover and cook, shaking the pan periodically, until all the clams are opened, about 7 minutes. Discard any that have not opened.)

Finish the Dish
Crank the sauce up to medium-high heat. Add the hot, drained linguine to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Toss the pasta with the clams and olive oil sauce so it's nicely coated. Add a handful of chopped parsley. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil before serving and if you are not interested in being traditional, a handful of parm cheese.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Joe DeSalazar in Food on November 8, 2005 2:05 PM

Comments [rss]

joe

thanks irina. i could never imagine making the same dish the same way every time i make it. tarragon sounds like a great idea, same with the garlic chives. good for you for trying new things and having fun with cooking. that's what it's all about!

sorry for the late response carter, but the recipe above says to cube about 1/2 cup of pancetta.

irina

Somebody needs to lighten up here. The cheese is optional and far from being "revolting." Frankly, I never understand the traditional Italian stance that cheese should never never never go on seafood.

Being a non-traditionalist, I've also experimented with this by adding tarragon; substituting garlic chive (not too much) for parsley; and even cilantro for parsley. All very nice flavors.

Thanks, Joe!

Petra

I made this dish on Sunday night and it was delicious. I would second the recommendation to use a little white wine, and absolutely recommend using fresh clams. Yum.

carter

uh, joe, how much pancetta is called for to give the dish the appropriately the measle-y, mottled look? recipe doesn't say. is that a typo or simply a matter of personal taste?

joe

i guess the entire country of portugal has been totally wrong by enjoying clams and pork since god knows when. you should send portugal an email and let them know. fairway sells freshly sucked clams in liquor for those that actually like the taste of clams, vs those little pointless bites of cockle. absolute rules of tradition are more revolting to me than cheese on my pasta on day.

la_depressionada

linguine is a feminine plural noun (dimunitive for little tongues).

pancetta diminishes the taste of the dish not to mention giving it an unappealing measel-y, mottled look. a touch of white wine could be added to help steam the open the fresh, never frozen or canned, vongole which should only be tiny -- like cockles really. the essence of this dish is the brine of the seafood. if you cloud it with chemicals or salty ham you have garbage.

and parmesan cheese ought NEVER NEVER NEVER be added. the thought is revolting actually.

CWeaver

The review here makes it sound spaghetti-standard, but there's a lot that's unusual about the place: the love that goes into the choice of the cheeses and the condiments that come with them.. and then desert list which is traditional but attentive to detail, and the service which feels very personal like you're a celebrity or something!

And everyone who comes there is dying to talk to you about how great it is.