Kathy Sidell owns restaurants in Boston and London and recently opened up her Saltie Girl spot in West Hollywood.
Her son Ben Sidell is the sweet ying to her salty yang. During the coronavirus pandemic, Ben started posting his delicious pastries on social media, when his chocolate chip cookies caught the attention of actress and Instagram darling Busy Phillips. The next day, he woke up to hundreds of orders and that’s when he decided he would make Sweet Boy a business.
Since December, the mother and son duo have joined forces to bring their creations to the West Hollywood restaurant, where Ben has a permanent pop up.
Jessica tried some of the restaurant’s signature dishes and sweets, and even got to see how a clam vongole is made (see recipe below).
For more information about Saltie Girl and Sweet Boy, visit the restaurant’s website or follow them on instagram at @saltiegirlla and @sweetboy.
This segment aired on California Cooking with Jessica Holmes, Episode 141.
Clam Vongole Courtesy of Saltie Girl
Ingredients
- 7 ounces of spaghetti
- 2 ounces of minced garlic
- 2 ounces of chopped parsley
- 1 cup of white wine
- 2 to 3 ounces of butter
- 5 to 6 little neck clams
- 5 to 6 Manila clams
- 1 tin of cockles in brine
- Parmigiano reggiano to taste
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon juice
- Chili flakes
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water and cook the spaghetti.
- In a sauté pan, add EVOO and sweat minced garlic. Add in Manila and little neck clams.
- Deglaze the clams with white wine. Cover the sauté pan with lid to allow clams to open.
- Once opened, remove clams from pan and set aside so they do not continue to cook.
- Add butter to white wine and garlic until melted. Add in cooked pasta to pan.
- Add Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of lemon juice.
- Add cooked clams and tinned cockles to pasta.
- Finish with chopped parsley and garnish with fresh Parmigiano Reggiano and chili flakes.
- Serve with grilled bread.
