6th #vongole video – “emulsione” with “emozione”

linguine alle vongole tossIn part 6 of linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta, Francesco Mazzei prepares a creamy emulsion by tossing the linguine with its starchy cooking water and the clam sauce. [Read more...]

5th #vongole video – the vongole “aperitivo” (dry white wine)

why do you love linguine vongole?In part 5 of linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta, Francesco Mazzei of London’s L’Anima says you should open the white wine BEFORE you open the clams. But should you pour 1 glass of wine into the pan and another, more slowly, into your mouth as you cook the vongole? Francesco does not say, but I think he would approve. [Read more...]

4th #vongole video – extra virgin understatement

Calabrian extra virgin olive oilIn part 4 of linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta, Francesco Mazzei stresses the importance of cooking with an understated extra virgin olive oil that won’t overpower the vongole. [Read more...]

3rd #vongole video – bronze die pasta: the rough cut with the right grooves

bronze die pastaIn part 3 of linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta, Francesco Mazzei explains why he and his vongole sauce cling to a bronze-cut pasta that’s been pushed through a bronze die. [Read more...]

2nd #vongole video – linguine or spaghetti: the necessity of long, slender & dry

In part 2 of linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta, Francesco Mazzei explains why it is essential to use a pasta that’s long, slender and dry.

1st #vongole video – “spurgare le vongole”: the ritual of cleaning the clams


“linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta” is a series of eight short videos starring Francesco Mazzei, the chef at London’s L’Anima. In part 1 of the series – spurgare le vongole – Francesco explains the ritual of cleaning the clams. In Italian, spurgare means “to clean, purge” and can apply to forms of purging other than the removal of sand from clams.