Spaghetti With Clams And Cherry Tomatoes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds clams in shell, scrubbed
1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dry white wine
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
10 leaves fresh basil leaves, divided

Preparation

Soak clams in plenty of salted cold water for 2 hours so that they will release any sand they have in them. Rinse well under cold running water and drain.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes less than as directed on the package, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add clams and white wine, cover, and cook on high heat until clams open, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove clams from the pan. Strain the pan juices through a fine sieve and set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same pan and cook cherry tomatoes until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in a few basil leaves. Add cooked clams and juices back to the pan and stir to combine. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add drained spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes over high heat with the tomatoes. Serve garnished with remaining basil.