Spaghetti Scrigno di Venere

Method

1. Finely chop the garlic cloves. In a pan, add olive oil, the chopped garlic, and finely chopped chili pepper. Cook on low heat to sweat.
2. Add a small amount of chopped parsley to the pan.
3. Add the scrigno di Venere clams. Cover and cook on low heat for 30-40 seconds until some begin to open.
4. Add a ladle of hot unsalted pasta water. Increase the heat, cover, and wait until the clams open (about 2 minutes).
5. As the clams open, remove them immediately from the pan and set aside. Keep the heat on.
6. Add the tomato concentrate to the pan with the clam liquid. Add a little more pasta water, cover, and simmer on low heat to develop the sauce.
7. Meanwhile, shell the remaining opened clams (remove the meat from the shells). Reserve a few whole clams in their shells for garnish.
8. Salt the pasta water, add the pasta, and cook until 2 minutes before al dente.
9. Transfer the pasta directly into the pan with the clam sauce. Add pasta cooking water as needed to create a creamy emulsion. Toss and cook until the pasta is al dente.
10. Add the shelled clams and any reserved whole clams back into the pan. Turn off the heat.
11. Add chopped parsley and white pepper. Toss well to combine.
12. Serve the pasta with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, add a little lemon zest for garnish.