I paccheri ai frutti di mare. Mmmmmm.

This week’s Foodgasm comes from the land where food reigns: la Campania, the region which is home to Naples, as well as the ancestors of many of our Italian-American friends.

The culinary tradition in Campania is staggering, so rest assured this won’t be the last time I highlight something from this area. My husband is also originally from here, so we’re down that way at least every couple of months.

This dish is one of my favorite primi (first courses), and is a specialty of the area. This particular beauty was served this past weekend at our niece Emilia’s communion party (along with about six other courses, which I apparently forgot to take pictures of due to food coma – I’ll try to do better next time).

I paccheri are a wide, flat pasta that lend themselves well to this dish; their shape creates a type of pocket for all the ingredients, assuring each bite is as full of deliciousness as the last.

I frutti di mare (seafood) in this case consist of fresh clams and mussels, steamed and prepared in a sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes with extra-virgin olive oil and a touch of hot pepper flakes. When ready, the paccheri are tossed together in a skillet with the sauce, then finished off with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Buonissimi!