Apr 14

Apr 14 Pasta Vongole a la Cesenatico

Looking for a vacation destination that makes you want to dig your toes into the sand and stay awhile?

Cesenatico is the ideal spot for a little rest & relaxation, Italian style. The town is part beach resort, part fishing village, and part historic canal. The beach is pristine, and goes on forever. The sandy shoreline invites a stroll in the warm shallows with a gelato in hand. It's definitely not a surfers beach, no big waves to be found here. Hundreds and hundreds of colourful beach umbrella line the shore in tidy rows shading the most comfortable napping loungers I've ever encountered. Of course, there are plenty of facilities available for the more athletically inclined, I just didn't happen to make their acquaintance.

Just a short walk from the beach you'll find Cesenatico's picturesque canal, it was designed by Leonardo DaVinci in 1502. Today, a collection of elaborately painted wooden fishing vessels with colourful sails are permanently anchored at the far end as part of a floating nautical museum.

The canal is lined with dozens of restaurants and cafes and, of course, seafood features prominently on most menus. There's something for every budget, from a slice of pizza for a couple of euro to fancy fine dining with white linens and candlelight.

Cesenatico Italy Davinci Canal night shot

Cesenatico also offers plenty of rental accommodations equipped with kitchen facilities. We typically dined on the terrace of our apartment with the spoils of our early morning market visits. The town's farmers market is just a few steps from the canal and conveniently located next to the fish market. The surrounding neighbourhood is filled with small bakeries, cheese shops, fresh pasta makers, all sorts wonderful things to discover. If you like to cook, it's easy to find inspiration for a delicious meal as you wander the narrow streets surrounding the canal. As long as you stick to simple recipes that require only a few ingredients; cooking for yourself while on vacation doesn't have to be a chore. Take, for example, a Pasta Vongole. Just steam some clams in a splash of wine with a few aromatics, cook some noodles, toss together, and dinner is served.

Pasta Vongole a la Cesenatico

Ingredients:

1 kg small clams (Cherry Stone or Little Neck)
1/2 cup dry white wine
200 grams dried pasta, either spaghetti or linguini (I'm using black squid ink pasta because I'm obsessed it at the moment)
1/4 cup really good olive oil
2 small shallots, finely minced (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon

Method:

Scrub the clams under cold running water, Be sure and throw away any with open shells that don’t close when tapped. If you are using farmed clams, they won't require further cleaning, but if you have wild clams you'll need to take extra care to remove any sand or grit. Click here for instructions.
Bring a big pot of well salted water to a boil for your pasta.
Heat the olive oil and shallots over medium-high heat in a medium sized pot with a lid. Cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two, until the shallots are translucent.
Add the wine and bring to a boil, then add the clams and cover.
Let the clams steam for about 5-7 minutes, until they open. Be sure and give the pot an occasional shake during the process.
Discard any unopened clams.
Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook, according to the package directions, until just al dente.
Reserve about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta.
Add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, and tarragon to the pot of steamed clams with their broth, and toss until everything is combined
Serve immediately with a chilled glass of white wine.

pasta vongole recipe Cesenatico beach umbrellas

Cooking in a vacation rental is not without its challenges. You won't have a full pantry or all of your trusty kitchen tools at your disposal, but if you pack a few essentials you'll be well ahead of the game.

Travel Kitchen Kit:

Seasonings - pack a couple of tablespoons of your favourite dried herbs and spices in tiny ziplock bags. You'll only need a few, be selective and realistic about you will likely use. My travel spice cabinet consist of red chili flakes, peppercorns, dried sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Stock - a couple of vegetable stock cubes to serve as the base for a pasta sauce or a risotto.
Teabags - I can never find good old fashioned black tea in Italy, so I bring some with me.
Ziplock bags - bring lots! These are great for packing road snacks and picnic lunches, as well as storing leftovers.
An insulated lunch bag - this will act as a mobile mini-fridge for transporting perishables from one destination to the next or for packing lunches. Just tuck in a frozen bottle of water to keep things cold.
Foil/Parchment - cut a few lengths of tinfoil & parchment paper to add to your kit. Folded flat these items take up virtually no space, and come in very handy. Here are a few uses:

Either can be used as pot lid when none is available, parchment placed directly on the surface of the food, and foil can be wrapped around the top of a pot.
Foil can serve as a baking or grilling surface.
For easy clean-up, cook your meal wrapped in an envelope of parchment, or 'en papillote'.
Wrap leftovers in foil for your next meal.

A few kitchen tools - depending on whether or not I'm checking my bag, I either bring these items with me or buy inexpensive pieces at a mercato once I arrive.

A small knife - In my experience, good knives are pretty scarce in most rental kitchens, so it helps to have one decent blade to work with.
Corkscrew - It's surprising how many vacation rentals in the heart of wine country don't come equipped with a corkscrew.
Micrograter - Use this for grating garlic cloves, cheese, or lemon zest.
Tongs - Tongs are basically heat-proof extensions of my hands, I use them for everything and I rarely find them in rental kitchens.