GWYNETH PALTROW'S SPAGHETTI ALLA VONGOLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously. Drop in your spaghetti. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over low heat in a large sauté pan. Add the garlic, chili, and fennel seeds and cook for 2 minutes, or until warmed and beginning to soften. Add the anchovies and stir them until they melt into the oil, about a minute. Crush the tomatoes gently by hand, just so that their skins burst and add them to the skillet. Turn heat down to medium low and cook for about 4 minutes, crushing with the back of your spoon, until the tomatoes begin to break down take pan off the heat and let rest for a few minutes. Return to flame, add the wine, turn the heat up, and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the clams, put a cover on the pan and let it cook until the clams open, about a minute or two. Turn off the heat and add the basil. At this point, your spaghetti should be just about perfect. Divide it among 3 bowls, along with the clams and all of their wonderful juice. NOTE: My friend Elouisa has figured out the best way to clean clams. First she fills a bowl with cold water and lets the clams soak for about 10 minutes. Then she drains them, sprinkles them with a handful of coarse salt and scrubs the clams against themselves, picking them up by the handful and rubbing them together. She does this hard enough to get any and all dirt off, but with a soft enough touch so as not to break the shells. She rinses them, soaks them in cold water again, and then drains them when the pan is ready for them. The cleanest clams I know.