Had Guests® over for dinner the other night. It was the consensus that this was an outstanding condimento for pasta, with the exception of one malcontent who shall remain nameless. However, this writer will acknowledge that while the offended guest® later admitted the dish was “technically correct”, she just couldn’t dig the calamari in it. We still love her anyway.
Suffice to say, if you like seafood, this one is for you. Pasta alla Luciana combines a briney tomato based sauce with gaeta olives and calamari. If you’ve ever eaten seaside in Italy, at some nameless shack you can’t recall, this sauce will bring those memories back to you.
Pasta all Luciana
1 pound Pasta (I used linguine)
1 pound fresh calamari, cleaned, sliced crosswise
6 oz. toasted pine nuts
3 anchovy filets, salt packed, rinsed.
1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon of capers, rinsed
12-16 pitted Gaeta olives
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, diced
Start by sauteing the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes and the anchovies and cook uncovered on low simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The sauce should reduce nicely. Add the Gaeta olives and the capers when the pasta goes into the water. When the pasta is almost done, add the pine nuts and the calamari (sliced into rings). If the sauce looks tight, add some of the pasta water. Be mindful, the calamari will cook in about two minutes, so this is key: Do not overcook it. If you add the calamari before the pasta is close to finishing, it will become rubbery. When the calamari turns white, it’s done. Toss over the pasta and serve. Does this look awesome or what?
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| Pasta condimento, alla Luciana |
The key here is obviously the quality of the Calamari. If you can’t find fresh, then file this away until you can and make something else. It’s got to be fresh to be delicious….Ciao!
March 13, 2012
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