Elegant Pane Cream Bongole Pasta
How to Make Luxurious Pane Cream Bongole Pasta at Home
Pasta dishes are surprisingly easy to make and are a wonderful, delicious option for entertaining guests. Today, I prepared a special pane bread bowl and filled it with a creamy bongole pasta made with clams and potatoes. The pane bread makes it look like a sophisticated, high-end pasta. In fact, pane bread can be bought frozen at a low price. I used fresh, plump clams in season to deepen the sauce’s flavor, and blended potatoes to add a nutty richness. My child’s comment, ‘This is even tastier than the pasta I had in Italy,’ made all my tiredness disappear.
Ingredients
- 2 Pane bread bowls
- 400g Fettuccine pasta
- 200 ml Milk
- 300 ml Heavy cream
- 2 Potatoes (medium-sized)
- 1/2 Onion
- 3-4 Shiitake mushrooms (or other mushrooms)
- 5-6 cloves Garlic
- 2 strips Pollack roe (mentaiko)
- 10-15 Fresh clams
- 3 strips Bacon
- 1/2 Tbsp Salt
- Pinch of black pepper
For Cooking Pasta
- 2L Water
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 2L Water
- 2 Tbsp Salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into 4 equal pieces. Place the potato pieces in a microwave-safe bowl with about 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 6-7 minutes until tender. (They should be easily pierced with a fork.)
Step 2
Transfer the cooked, warm potatoes to a blender. Add 1/4 of the onion and 200 ml of milk. Blend until you achieve a smooth potato puree. This will form the base of your creamy sauce.
Step 3
Finely chop the bacon strips. In a heated pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, rendering its fat. Remove the crispy bacon and place it on paper towels to drain excess grease.
Step 4
Using the same pan or a clean one, heat a generous amount of olive oil over very low heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic and the remaining 1/4 onion. Sauté slowly, ensuring the garlic and onion release their aromas without burning. This slow sautéing is key for flavor development.
Step 5
Once the onion becomes translucent and tender, pour in the blended potato mixture. Keep the heat at medium and stir continuously to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan, ensuring a smooth and creamy texture.
Step 6
Now, add the 300 ml of heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper. For extra flavor, add dried basil or oregano if you like. Stir in finely chopped chili peppers (like Korean gochugaru) and the pulp from the pollack roe (scrape out the roe from the casing). Finally, add the fresh clams and cook until their shells open. The sauce’s consistency can vary depending on the amount of potato puree and milk used. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk. Adjust the seasoning with salt to your taste.
Step 7
To cook the pasta, bring 2 liters of water to a rolling boil in a large pot, adding 2 tablespoons of salt. Once boiling, add 400g of fettuccine and cook for 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest, aiming for an al dente texture. Drain the pasta well. Immediately add a knob of butter to the hot pasta and toss quickly. This prevents the pasta from sticking and absorbs the buttery flavor, making it more delicious. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
Step 8
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the frozen pane bread. Microwave the pane bread for 2-3 minutes to soften it slightly. Then, carefully cut off the top portion to use as a lid later.
Step 9
Using your fingers or a spoon, gently scoop out the inside of the bread (avoiding the crust) to create a hollow space for the pasta. The outside of the bread is crusty and firm, while the inside is soft and will scoop out relatively easily. Be careful not to break the bread as you create the space.
Step 10
Lightly butter the inside of the hollowed-out bread. This helps prevent the sauce from making the bread too soggy and adds extra flavor. Fill the bread bowl with the cooked fettuccine. Generously ladle the warm cream bongole sauce over the pasta, ensuring the bread can soak up plenty of the delicious sauce. Garnish the top with the crispy bacon you prepared earlier, and add a sprinkle of finely chopped chili or some baby greens for a fresh burst of color and flavor. Your beautiful Pane Cream Bongole Pasta is now ready to serve!
