Pastina refers to any tiny pasta shape, whether it’s stars, little squares, tiny shells, or riso. When you boil the pasta, undercook it just a tiny bit so it can cook together with the mussels and the clams for a few minutes, absorbing all that delicious liquid without getting mushy. In that way it’s almost like a risotto, but much easier to make.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

　　1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

　　1 pound pastina pasta or fregola (see page 81)

　　1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　2 garlic cloves, chopped

　　1 cup dry Marsala wine or dry sherry

　　1 cup (6 ounces) grape tomatoes

　　12 littleneck clams, scrubbed

　　12 mussels, scrubbed and debearded

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

　　

Step 1

In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, 3 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain.

　　

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the Marsala and grape tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the clams and mussels to the pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook until all the shellfish have opened, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any shellfish that do not open.

　　

Step 3

Using tongs, remove the clams and mussels from the pan and reserve. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Pour the shellfish cooking liquid and vegetables over the pasta, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the parsley, and toss. Arrange the clams and mussels on top of the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.