There’s a bulb in the clams

Maria Grazia Soncini is the chef at La Capanna di Eraclio in Codigoro (Ferrara), a beautiful restaurant lost in the Delta del Po area, known not so much for its creative recipes as for the tireless research of raw materials which she uses to create an impeccable traditional cuisine, one full of old memories. We’ve asked the chef to interpret Voghiera Garlic, a symbol of her territory, a bulb whose proprieties we began to illustrate here.

First of all, the chef points out, «we need to appreciate garlic once again. People often tell me they cannot digest it, or that they are intolerant. However, I believe that in fact there is little desire to “tolerate”, that it’s more about being influenced by a trend, rather than a question of true intolerance». Moreover, she remarks, joking up to a certain point: «If we continue this way, should a war start, we would all die».

About Voghiera Garlic she says: «I like it when it is fresh and pungent, like in this season. The very young one is made sparse so that the remaining one can grow larger». It is an essential ingredient, especially in La Capanna’s pasta dishes: «it gives extra energy to our Spaghetti with garlic, oil and grey mullet roe. I often use it in my pasta dishes, especially as a base for some simple Spaghetti with clams form the Scardovari Delta: I put it in a pan, cut into slices, and then I remove it». Re-ci-pe! Re-ci-pe! Here it is.

Maria Grazia Soncini

Recipe for 4 people

INGREDIENTS
1.2 kg of clams (which become 0.3 kg when shelled: better those from Goro, in the Delta del Po area);
1 Voghiera Garlic clove;
1 scallion;
extra virgin olive oil;
half a glass of Trebbiano wine (or another dry white wine).

METHOD
Chop the Voghiera garlic and scallion thinly. Brown them delicately in a pan with the oil. Pour the clams with their shells. Leave them on the stove and then pour the wine so that the alcohol can evaporate.

Cover with a lid for a couple of minutes until the clams are open. Shell the clams keeping their water. Filter the sauce so as to eliminate any sand and keep to a side.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. Drain them 2-3 minutes before they are done, and then mix them in the pan. When the pasta is almost ready, add the clams and serve.