Penne in barca

To make the Penne on a Boat, first, take care of cleaning the clams: make sure there are no broken or empty shells, as they should be discarded. Then proceed to tap them against the sink or on a cutting board. This operation is important to check that there's no sand inside: healthy bivalves will remain closed, while sandy ones will open. Let the clams purge: in a large bowl, pour coarse salt 1 and the clams 2, cover with water 3 and let them soak for a couple of hours.

In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan 4, and in another, heat the milk 5 and add a pinch of salt. Once the butter has melted, add the flour all at once 6 and stir with a whisk.

Once the roux is obtained, add the milk 7 and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until you achieve a smooth and homogeneous consistency 8. Keep the béchamel sauce at room temperature covered with plastic wrap 9.

Now chop the parsley 10 and set it aside: it will be used for the sauce. Clean and finely chop the onion 11, the half clove of garlic with the germ removed, and the chili pepper 12.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites, season with salt, and beat them lightly 13. Sauté the chopped onion, garlic, and chili pepper in a pan with oil 14, for just a couple of minutes over medium-high heat, until they soften 15.

Add the clams 16, deglaze with white wine 17, and cover with a lid 18. Cook until all the shells are open. Meanwhile, place a pot filled with salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil.

Cook the pasta 19 and drain it 3-4 minutes before the end of the cooking time directly into the pan with the clams 20. Finish cooking in the pan for 4-5 minutes; the pasta should absorb almost all the juice released by the clams and start to have the right creaminess. With the heat off, with the pan still very hot, add the béchamel sauce 21.

Finally, add the parsley and yolks 22, mix to combine, and serve your Penne on a Boat hot 34.