Ingredients

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• plus extra to serve
• 3 garlic cloves
• sliced
• 4 tbsp chopped parsley
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• 1¼ litres/2 pints 4fl oz fish stock
• 4 medium tomatoes
• skins removed
• de-seeded and finely chopped
• 250g/9oz fregola pasta
• 1kg/2lb 4oz small clams
• rinsed and drained (discard any clams that remain open when tapped)
• large pinch saffron
• infused in 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 lemon
• finely grated zest only

Directions

• Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and add the garlic
• parsley and chilli flakes. Heat
• stirring
• for one minute
• until the garlic starts to colour.
• Add the stock and half of the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Add the fregola pasta and simmer for ten minutes (or to cook according to packet instructions)
• stirring frequently
• until the pasta is just cooked.
• Meanwhile
• pour enough water into a large clean pan with a lid to come about ½cm/¼in up the sides. Bring to the boil
• then add the clams and cover tightly with the lid. Cook
• shaking the pan occasionally
• over a high heat
• for 3-5 minutes
• or until all of the clams have opened.
• Remove the clams from the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard any clams that have not opened.
• Carefully pour off most of the cooking liquor from the pan into a bowl
• leaving behind any sand and grit that will have settled on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the clams
• the strained cooking liquor
• the infused saffron and its water
• the lemon zest and the remaining tomatoes to the pan of simmering pasta and mix well.
• Remove from the heat and ladle into six soup bowls. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately.