Sonia Szóstak takes photos that are otherworldly, but this pasta brings her back to Earth.
There is a mystical quality to Sonia Szóstak’s photos, which have graced poetic magazine covers, ethereal editorials, and artful advertising campaigns. Set against vast landscapes, intimate studio backgrounds, and buzzing city streets, her models—including Carolyn Murphy, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, as well as her close friends—move through organic poses, light on their feet. In her photograph Secret Cave, nymph-like boys and girls dive into a fantastical pool guarded by impressive geological formations. The Paris-based, Polish photographer’s recipe for spaghetti alle vongole transports her to the Mediterranean. “It brings me back to blissful memories of Italian vacations, where I've spent nearly every summer from childhood to now,” she says. “And it tastes best with a Negroni.”
Ingredients
- 2¼ pounds of vongole veraci (clams) fresh!
- 12 ounces of spaghetti
- 1 pinch of Glasswort
- Olive oil
- ¼ cup nice dry wine
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley, leaves washed and dried
- Salt (only for pasta)
- Half lemon
Instructions
- First, get the vongole ready and clean them up. Let them purge in cold water with 2 tablespoons of salt per 4¼ cups for 2-3 hours in the fridge.
- Place the vongole in a colander suspended in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep your fridge from smelling like sea treasures.
- After that time, drain and rinse the vongole under cold running water to get rid of any remaining sand. Discard any open shells!
- Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti in salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a cup of the pasta water.
- In a large pan over medium heat, warm up a generous amount of olive oil and butter.
- Add pepper flakes and very thinly sliced garlic. Once the garlic is golden, toss in the vongole!
- Cook the vongole on high heat, covered, and wait for them to open up after about 3-5 minutes. When they open, pour in white wine and wait until it reduces a bit.
- After that, remove about 30% of the vongole from their shells and leave the rest in their shells. Discard any that didn’t open.
- Transfer the pasta to the pan with the vongole, add chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- If you feel that there isn't enough sauce, add some pasta water and an extra tablespoon of butter.
- Cover the pan briefly, giving it a gentle shake to ensure the vongole don't escape their shells but mix well with the wonderful sauce.
- Remember, you don't need to add salt to the sauce. It's important to cook the pasta in well-salted water because vongole have a salty taste on their own. Drizzle with half a lemon gently, and voila!