Seafood spaghetti (Spaghetti allo scoglio)

1. Clean the shellfish (soak the clams in salted water for 1 hour), peel the prawns except for the tail and clean the squid and cut it into rings.

2. In a large lidded frying pan, fry the garlic and chilli in half the olive oil for 1 minute, add both kinds of shellfish, pour in the white wine and cook covered for 3-4 minutes until they open; lift them out and strain the juices.

3. In the same pan, fry the squid in the remaining oil for 1 minute, add the halved cherry tomatoes and the shellfish juices and cook for 5 minutes; finally add the prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes until pink.

4. Meanwhile, drain the spaghetti, cooked in plenty of salted water, 2 minutes before the stated time.

5. Add the pasta to the sauce and finish cooking over high heat for 2 minutes, tossing, then return the shellfish (discard any that stay closed) and sprinkle with parsley.

6. Serve at once on a large platter - Italians never put cheese on seafood.

Tip: Squid and prawns need only brief cooking: the squid goes into the pan before the tomatoes, while the prawns are added only at the end of cooking the sauce. Include the finishing time with the pasta and avoid unnecessary extra cooking.