calabrian chilli clams with cherry tomatoes + garlic

make sure clams are cleaned—i soaked mine twice over in some cold water before using (this helps them purge any leftover sand)

add a tbsp of evoo to a heavy bottom pan with a lid (i like to use a dutch oven) and sauté the garlic on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is toasty but not burnt.

then add in the calabrian chilli paste and half the parsley and stir to combine.

next toss in the 1 lb of tomatoes to the pan and put the lid on the post. this will help the tomatoes to gently burst. check after 5 minutes. repeat if the tomatoes need a little longer. they should be jammy but not completely broken down.

next add the clams to the pot and put the lid back on for another 3-5 minutes. after 3 minutes check to see if the clams have all open. if not all are open, pop the lid back on for a minute or so and keep checking.

once all the clams are open, transfer everything to a large serving dish or plate.sprinkle over another generous handful of chopped parsley. enjoy with some fresh torn crusty baguette (to mop up all the insanely good juices).

the spicy, tomatoey clam juice soaked into the chewy yet crusty bread is—indescribable!