Sophie Dalah is an Australian-born chef who grew up with a family in the food industry and a deep love for cooking and produce. Sophie’s menus are inspired by seasonal and local produce sourced directly from farmer’s markets.
Ingredients
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- Brightland AWAKE olive oil
- 5 anchovies
- A punnet of cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Brightland California Orange Blossom Honey
- 1 tube of tomato paste
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 pounds of fresh clams
- 3 cups fregola pasta
- 2 cups fish stock (or vegetable/chicken stock)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)
- Brightland ARDOR chili olive oil, to drizzle
For the Parsley Chili Oil
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup of Brightland AWAKE olive oil
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 minced chili peppers
Instructions
- 1 Prepare the parsley chili oil: In a bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped parsley, minced chili peppers, a pinch of salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir well to create a flavorful oil mixture. Set it aside for later use.
- 2 In a Dutch oven or a large pot, heat a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat.
- 3 Add the anchovies and stir until they dissolve, approximately 30 seconds.
- 4 Add the minced garlic and chili peppers to the pot and sauté until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- 5 Incorporate the tomato paste, finely chopped cherry tomatoes, and a tablespoon of honey. Cook until the mixture becomes sticky and starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Use low heat to prevent burning.
- 6 Once the mixture dries out a bit, deglaze the pot with 2 cups of dry white wine, scraping off any flavorful bits from the bottom.
- 7 Add the clams to the pot and cover with a lid. Steam for about 5 minutes or until the clams open.
- 8 Now, prepare the fregola pasta: Remove the cooked clams from the pot and set them aside to avoid overcooking. Add 3 cups of fregola pasta to the pot and pour in an additional 2 cups of water or stock. Cook for approximately 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The fregola should have a slight chew when done. Turn off the heat.
- 9 While the fregola is still in the pot, add your parsley chili oil mixture and give it a quick toss. Add the clams back to the pot, and toss everything together.
- 10 Serve the dish on your favorite platter, garnished with extra chopped parsley, chili slices, a pinch of Maldon salt, and a drizzle of Brightland chili oil.
