Calamarata (Pasta with calamari and tomato sauce)

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PRESENTATION

Calamarata (Pasta with calamari and tomato sauce)

Do you recognize this characteristic pasta shape? This is calamarata, a very common pasta shape in the cuisine of Campania, which lends itself very well to quick and tasty sauces, such as swordfish ragu. Are you wondering if they have anything in common with paccheri pasta? Well, it's not a crazy question! In fact, the calamarata, in the Neapolitan area, is known by the name of mezzi paccheri pasta. In addition to being a pasta shape, it is also a sauce whose protagonist, it might go without saying, is the calamari. Cut into large rings, it is practically the same as the pasta shape. Thanks to our very original way of serving calamarata pasta, it could easily represent a dish for special occasions, parties, or to surprise guests. The parchment paper serves to preserve the scent that will come out of it, inebriating your guests. Prepare the delicious calamarata with us and enjoy your meal!

INGREDIENTS
Calamarata pasta 14 oz (400 g)
Calamari (squid) 1.3 lbs (600 g)
Garlic 1 clove
Fresh chili pepper 1
Parsley 1 bunch - to be chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Cherry tomatoes 14 oz (400 g)
Triple concentrated tomato paste ¼ cup (25 g)
White wine ½ cup (60 g)
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Calamarata (Pasta with calamari and tomato sauce)

To prepare the calamarata, start with garlic, skin it and crush it with the palm of your hand 1. Then clean the chili pepper, remove the seeds 2 and finely chop it 3.

Then wash the tomatoes, dry them, and divide them into 4 parts 4. Start cleaning the calamari. First rinse under running water 5, then remove the inner part by pulling the head. From the latter eliminate the white part with the cartilage; from the head, remove the eyes and squeeze the beak in the center 6.

Peel off the skin using a paring knife 7 and rinse again before cutting it into rings about 3/4 inch (2 cm) 8 wide. Move to the stove; put plenty of salted water to boil in a pan and then cook the pasta. Place a pan on the stove. Heat the oil together with the whole peeled garlic clove and chopped chili pepper 9.

As soon as the bottom is hot, raise the temperature and sear the calamari rings 10. After a few seconds, simmer with white wine until the alcohol has completely evaporated 11. Then remove the garlic, add the cherry tomatoes and tomato paste 12.

Stir, add salt 13, then lower the heat, and let it cook for about ten minutes; when done cooking, sprinkle with chopped parsley 14. In the meantime, cook the pasta until it is halfway cooked 15.

As soon as the pasta is cooked, take a ladle of cooking water and pour it into the pan 16 then drain the calamarata pasta and toss it into the pan 17. Mix a few moments and add water as needed so that the mixture is liquid, but does not come apart 18.

Place a sheet of parchment paper 19 on top of a sheet of aluminum foil, put a couple of ladles of pasta in the middle 20 and close the parchment paper first 21

and then the aluminum foil as if they were candy 22. Arrange them on a drip pan 22 and bake in a static oven, preheated to 390° F (200° C), for about 10 minutes. Your calamarata pasta is ready… you just have to serve it 23!

Storage

It is preferable to eat the calamarata pasta immediately, otherwise the taste, aroma and texture will tend to deteriorate. However, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. If you prefer, you can prepare the sauce in advance, as mentioned before, but it would be advisable not to leave the prepared sauce too long without using it with pasta.

Freezing is not recommended.

Tips

To make the calamarata pasta even tastier, you can use tomato puree, which will also make the base creamier! By using both the parchment paper and aluminum foil, less liquid will evaporate while the calamarata pasta bakes in the oven!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.