Fregola con arselle

Step 1: Drain 2 ¼ lb live small clams, rinse well and tap any open ones; throw away any that stay open, and any with broken shells.

Step 2: Warm 1 ½ tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a high heat, add the clams and a splash of water, cover and cook, shaking the pan, until the shells open.

Step 3: Tip into a sieve set over a bowl to catch the juice. Throw away any clams that stayed shut. Remove most from their shells, keeping a few whole for serving, and strain the juice through a fine sieve or kitchen paper to remove grit.

Step 4: Toast 10 ½ oz fregola in a dry pan over a medium heat, stirring, until it smells nutty and darkens slightly.

Step 5: Warm the rest of 3 ½ tbsp olive oil in the pan over a medium heat, add 3 garlic cloves, ½ tsp dried chilli flakes and half of 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and cook gently until the garlic is pale gold.

Step 6: Add 9 oz cherry tomatoes and cook until they start to collapse, then stir in the fregola.

Step 7: Add the clam juice and some of 3 ¼ cups hot fish stock or water a ladle at a time, stirring, as for risotto, until the fregola is tender but still has a little bite and is loose and soupy. Don't let it dry out: fregola keeps absorbing liquid, and a stiff, stodgy pan is the usual mistake.

Step 8: Stir in the clams and the rest of 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, warm through for 1 minute and season with ½ tsp salt if needed. Serve at once in shallow bowls.