Calamarata
It’s fun to try new pasta shapes, especially when they mimic the main ingredients you’re pairing with the pasta. In this case, it’s calamarata, which closely resemble the calamari, or squid, that I cooked with them. In the past, it was nearly impossible to find calamarata here in the states, but nowadays, I have seen it not only in Philadelphia and New York, but even in my hometown of Princeton, N.J. The brand I used was “La Fabbrica della Pasta di Gragnano,” an excellent artisanal pasta made with extrusion machines that employ the traditional bronze dies. In case you can’t find this brand, click here for a couple of other brands available online.
Try to find squid that are on the small size. They’re more tender. These were only about three inches long. Pat them dry and cut them into rings. Dry them again before cooking with them. They’ll release a lot of water anyway.
Saute the scallions and garlic in olive oil, then remove them when they’ve wilted.
You should be roasting the tomatoes too. Use a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet to make clean up a little easier. Roast them until they have burst open and have taken on a bit of color.
Toss the tomatoes together with the squid, the pasta and the remaining ingredients. All you have to do now is grab a fork and dig in.
Calamarata with calamari
printable recipe here
1 lb. calamarata pasta
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 lbs. squid, cut into rings
1 pt. grape tomatoes
a couple of tablespoons olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped scallions
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 lemon, squeezed
red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1/4 cup minced parsley
small handful of basil, minced
Place the grape tomatoes on a cookie sheet (I put parchment paper down first). Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Roast in a 425 degree oven for about 20 min. until they start to turn color.
Start the water boiling for the pasta, adding some salt. While you’re boiling the pasta, make the sauce by placing 1/2 cup olive oil in a large saucepan and adding the chopped scallions and minced garlic. Sauté until soft, then remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside. Turn up the heat, add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and add the squid rings, tossing and sautéing for only a few minutes. Do not overcook. Squid will get tough if you leave it in for more than a few minutes. Remove the squid and set aside. Add the wine to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes in the pan with the liquid that the squid released. Drain the pasta and add that to the pan, also putting back in the sautéed scallions and garlic that you had set aside. Add the roasted tomatoes, juice from 1/2 lemon, salt, pepper and enough red pepper flakes to give it the spiciness you prefer. Sprinkle the minced parsley and basil on top and serve.
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A beautiful and flavorful dish! Those pasta are great.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a great idea. Wish I could find mushroom-shaped pasta to have when I make pasta boscaiola. I've recently written about favourite pasta shapes on my blog: http://ambradambra.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/pasta-shapes-my-memories/
I never get very excited about pasta but this dish looks and sounds irrestible! Delicious.
That looks outstanding!I can get that pasta right in my neck of the woods so, woo Hoo!
Oh, I love this! I have seen that pasta shape, but never known what to do with it. This looks beautiful.
a che ora si mangia che arrivo ovunque sei ?Adoro la calamarata!Buon we cara Linda, un abbraccio !
What a wonderful recipe! Now if only I could get someone to make it for ME on Mother's Day!
I've also used this pasta! It's a fun shape. I love calamari but it's another "hard to find" item in landlocked Colorado. I have a long list of things I want to eat when I visit NYC in the future…lol
You know I will be making this!
I will wait to buy the calamari shaped pasta in Princeton at that lovely Italian specialty market.
🙂
Have a wonderful Mother's day, to a wonderful mother!!! xo
Cara Linda! Ci vediamo presto, non vedo l'ora!
Un forte abbraccio, Pat
I do love that simple "sauce" with the roasted tomatoes. I can get the pasta (isn't that amazing?). The squid? Not so much. They are always huge and tough. I hesitate to use frozen – but that seems to be the only place that has the smaller squid. It looks so sweet – small pastas are so underused (except for soups it seems).
What a delightful pasta dish! I don't know why I shy away from making squid at home?? Gotta try.
Love the shape too.
Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day Linda!
LL
I so love it when we can discover a new pasta (or anything Italian) that is recently introduced to the market in the States! What a beautiful pasta shape and lovely recipe Linda! How fortunate you are to live in a region surrounded by Italian ingredients! For me in the South, thank goodness for the web to order Italian specialties!
Baci,
Roz
What a delicious dish, Linda! I saw squid that size in several fish markets in southern France. Not sure if I will find them here in the Pacific NW.I would love to try this recipe.
I don't believe I've ever seen calamarata pasta but I'll certainly be looking for it. How perfect it looks with the calamari. I suppose that's how it's supposed to be used, judging from the name 🙂
Delicious dish!!
Now this is my kind of eating! I just tried calamarata for the first time a couple of weeks ago (Garofalo brand). They have a very nice mouth feel, much like paccheri, which are one of my favorite shapes.