Roasted baby tomato and clam pasta

Serves 4

The trick here is to make sure that the linguine is extra al dente and the water you cook it in is well-salted so it's slippery rather than starchy and stands up to the sauce. I've added some little roast tomatoes for a bit of added colour and flavour.

500g/1lb baby plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
25g/1oz unsalted butter
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely chopped
150ml/¼ pint white wine
1kg/2lb clams, cleaned
300g/10oz linguine

To serve

Flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Wash the tomatoes and slice in half lengthwise. Place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on the baking sheet. Combine the garlic, oil and oregano in a bowl and spoon over the tomatoes. Season the tomatoes and place in the oven for 2 hours or until the edges are almost caramelised and crispy.

Heat the butter in a pan large enough to hold the clams, over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the chilli, then cook while stirring for 1 more minute. Add the wine and bring to the boil.

Add the clams to the pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, or until the shells are all open. Discard any that haven't opened. Spoon out the clams and keep warm. Bring the cooking liquid up to the boil and reduce by just under half.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and toss through the cooking liquid.

Toss the tomatoes and clams together and lay the pasta alongside. Season with black pepper and flat-leaf parsley.