Calamarata
Squid, Fennel, Cannellini Beans
These Naples speciality are pretty great at being short pasta that act like a long one. Short in that a fork can pick up, but long in how much sauce it can deliver in a single bite. I think that's because of how big and wide the rings are of this shape that allows it to pull double duty. Often you can find this "squid like" shape dyed with squid ink and served with tomato sauce based seafood. It's a bit on the nose, but when you got calamarata...
It may be on the nose, but it makes perfect sense to make a squid recipe with these calamarata. To make it un-boring though I decided to give it a little zip with a fresh parsley chimichurri. The fennel and beans create a little wall of extra flavor and creaminess that breaks through the acid of the vinegar. As a result the final dish is a delicious game of Where’s Waldo? except Waldo is squid amongst pasta with the same shape.
Servings: 4 - Time: ~2.5 hrs. - Difficulty: 2 - Take-a Your Time
Ingredients & Mise en Place
17.6 oz. calamarata
1 lb. squid - tentacles and bodies - bodies sliced to ¼” slices
1 large fennel bulb - halved and sliced thin - reserve fronds
16 oz. cannellini beans
1 bunch curly parsley
¼ cup red wine
crushed red pepper
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
pepper
Equipment
a bowl of ice and cold water
Directions
Squid
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once rapidly boiling add in 2 tablespoons of sea salt and squid. Boil squid for ~2 minutes. Quickly remove from heat and shock in the ice water bath.
While the squid chills out, make your parsley chimichurri. Blend parsley, crushed red pepper (to taste), 1/2 cup olive oil, and vinegar until smooth. Place the squid in an air tight container and then pour the chimichurri over the squid. Place in your refrigerator over night and up to 24 hours.
Pasta
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
In a deep sauté pan over medium heat add a 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once heated add in fennel, salt, and pepper to taste. In a separate sauté pan over high heat add in squid and chimichurri sauce, turn to low after about 2 minutes. Next, add the cannellini beans to the fennel mixture and stir frequently.
Add the calamarata pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Strain and add to the fennel and bean sauce. Next toss in the squid, but add the chimichurri little by little to taste. It can go from zero to 60, so this is up to you.
Divide into 4 portions and top with a little fresh olive oil and reserved fennel fronds. Serve with a lemon wedge and fresh flakey sea salt to taste.