• 200g spaghetti • 1kg cockles • 500ml white wine • bunch fresh herbs, stalks included • ¼ cup olive oil • 4 cloves garlic • 1 red chilli, chopped • zest of 1 lemon • 1 cup semi-dried tomatoes, homemade or bought • ¼ cup salsa verde • lemon wedges to serve
Salsa Verde • 1 cup watercress •1 cup parsley • ½ cup grated parmesan • ¼ cup olive oil • 2 cloves garlic • juice of ½ lemon • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Place all ingredients into a blender and blitz until well combined.
1. Cook spaghetti as per packet instructions.
2. In a large pot with lid on, heat wine and herbs, until boiling.
3. Add cockles and steam for a few minutes until shells are all open. Give pot a shake after a couple of minutes. Strain, reserving liquid when they all open.
4. While cockles are cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan, add garlic and chilli and cook until fragrant, 4 or 5 minutes.
5. Toss spaghetti into frying pan stirring to coat with flavour. Add cockles, sundried tomatoes, and salsa verde and cup of liquid from the cockles' pot. Place into a serving bowl and add the fresh herbs.
6. Serve with plenty of freshly ground pepper and lemon wedges.
