Squid Pasta With Seasonal Mushrooms And Vegetables Recipes

PASTA ALLA CAPRICCIOSELLA (PASTA WITH SQUID, MUSHROOMS AND PEAS)

Steps:

• In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the pasta, sauté the garlic cloves in abundant olive oil over moderate heat until they are just beginning to brown. Remove the garlic cloves and add the chopped calamari. Season with salt and pepper, stirring so that all the little pieces are nicely coated with the flavored oil. Turn the heat down to very low and cover the pan.
• Let the squid braise until it is very tender, about 20-30 minutes for baby squid, 45-60 minutes for 'regular' squid. The squid will give off a fair amount of liquid to begin with, but as it cooks it may dry out, in which case add a few spoonfuls of water or wine from time to time to keep things moist. The squid itself should be much reduced in size and darken as its liquid cooks out; this is perfectly normal.
• While the squid is cooking, start the pasta water going, then prep your veggies.
• When the squid is done, uncover it, increase the heat to medium-high and add the white wine. Let the wine reduce, then add your veggies. Mix well to cover them completely with the sauce in the pan. Season well with salt and pepper as you stir.
• Then, once again, reduce the heat and cover the pan. Let the veggies braise until the mushrooms are tender, about another 10 minutes or so. The tomatoes will soften and begin to 'melt' into the sauce, but not completely. A minute or two before the end, add the red pepper flakes and half of the chopped parsley.
• Just when you cover the pan again, salt the boiling water very well and add your pasta, making sure that . it should be done about the same time as your veggies. When it is done very al dente, add the pasta to sauce in the sauté pan. Lower the heat as low as it will go, and mix it all up so that the pasta is well coated with the sauce. If things are a bit dry or sticky, add some more pasta water to loosen things up. The pasta should not be at all watery but slight 'slither' around the pan easily.
• Serve immediately in warmed pasta dishes. The best way to do this is to grab a good portion of pasta with some tongs (or a pasta fork) and swirl it into the dish. Then spoon out a nice portion of the sauce, with squid and veggies, too, on top of the pasta. If you like, sprinkle a bit of fresh parsley on top for garnish, perhaps with un filo d'olio-a drizzle of olive oil. As the poem so rightly recommends, no cheese.

SQUID PASTA WITH LIGHT GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring small saucepan of water to a boil; add pinch of salt. Add broccoli, boil 1 1/2 minutes, drain and transfer to bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.
• Pull tentacles from squid and discard or set aside for another use. Use kitchen shears to cut bodies lengthwise. Open squid, rinse, pat dry and place flat on cutting board. Use sharp knife or Japanese or Chinese cleaver to score each piece vertically, making cuts very close together, like ribs on rigatoni, but taking care not to cut completely through squid. Cut squid horizontally in 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip parallel to the scoring in half-inch wide pieces. Sprinkle strips with salt and pepper.
• Mix sake and soy sauce and set aside.
• Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until it starts to sizzle and gives off fragrance. Increase heat to high, add mushroom caps top-side down, sear briefly, turn and add squid strips, then asparagus and then broccoli. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until squid strips start to curl and turn opaque, a minute or so, but are not fully cooked.
• Drizzle sake-soy mixture over ingredients, stir and remove pan from heat. Stir again and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi and serve.