November Foodie Extra: Gino Pizzi’s Calamarata Di Mare Recipe

Local food scene fixture Gino Pizzi has called Indiana home since his family came to the United States when he was fifteen, but his heart (and belly) still belong to the sea he grew up near in La Spezia, on the western coast of Italy. He shared his recipe for calamarata di mare, a light pasta dish with shrimp and calamari. “I’m in love with anything that comes from the sea,” says Pizzi.

Note: Calamarata is a thick-ring pasta that resembles sliced calamari when it’s cooked. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, you can order it online, or substitute another tube pasta like rigatoni.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 oz calamarata pasta (Most good Italian pasta producers make one.)
• 7-8 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 pound fresh cleaned calamari, cut about the size of the pasta
• 1/2 pound small cleaned shrimp
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 2 TBSP chopped Italian parsley 
• 2 whole garlic cloves
• 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes, more if you enjoy spicy flavors
• 1/3 cup white wine (Pizzi recommends drinking the rest while cooking!)
• 1 TBSP unsalted butter
• Salt, to taste. 

Instructions:

• Add the olive oil, crushed red chili flakes and 2/3 of the chopped parsley to a large skillet over medium heat.
• Lightly smash the garlic cloves. (Don’t chop or slice. Just smash the garlic with the back of a spoon.) Add to the skillet.
• Cook everything in the skillet for about three minutes, stirring frequently or reducing heat to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
• Add the calamari and cook for two minutes.
• Add the shrimp and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced by half (approximately four-five minutes).
• Add the sliced tomatoes and approximately ½ tsp salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture for eight to ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In the meantime, cook the calamarata pasta according to the direction on the package until al dente. Drain, making sure to reserve at least one cup of the pasta water.
• Add the cooked pasta to everything in the skillet, and stir to combine. Add some of the reserved pasta water as needed.
• Add the butter to the skillet and turn off heat. Stir until the butter is completely melted. Check flavor and add more salt to your taste. Garnish with remaining chopped parsley.
• Plate and enjoy