Lidia Bastianich’s Spaghetti with Calamari, Scallops & Shrimp

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta pot
8 ounces medium calamari, cleaned
8 ounces dry sea scallops
1 pound large shrimp
¼ cup extra- virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons more for finishing the pasta
6 plump garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved; or 2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
¼ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
1 pound spaghetti
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Recommended equipment:
1 large pot, 8- quart capacity, for cooking the pasta
1 heavy- bottomed skillet or saute pan, 12- inch diameter or larger.

For me, there's no better way to dress spaghetti than with a fresh seafood sauce. And this sauce, from the old fishing port of Termoli in Molise, is as simple and delicious as any. In the restaurants by the docks in Termoli (near the old citadel called Tornola), just- caught seafood is served in a brodetto. You eat the seafood, and then the kitchen will toss spaghetti into the sauce you've left in your bowl. In my version of spaghetti di Tornola, the calamari, scallops, and shrimp are part of the pasta dressing, but you can eat the brodetto in separate courses, Termoli- style, if you like. In summer, I use my mother's home- grown, sun- ripened cherry tomatoes to make an exceptional sauce, but in winter, a couple of cups of canned plum tomatoes make a fine substitute.

Shake the malefante by handfuls in a colander or strainer to remove the excess flour, then drop all the pieces into the boiling pasta water at the same time; stir and separate them with a spider or tongs so they don't stick together. Cover the pot, bring the water back to a boil over high heat, and cook the malefante, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or so, until al dente. (If the sauce is off the heat, return it to the simmer now to dress the pasta.)

Lift out the malefante with a spider, drain for a moment, and spill them into the simmering sauce, working quickly. Toss pasta and sauce until all the strips of pasta are coated. Adjust the consistency of the dish, adding more pasta water if you want it looser, or thickening it quickly over high heat.

Turn off the heat, sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over the malefante, and toss well. Heap it into warm pasta bowls, and serve immediately, with more cheese at the table.

Fill the large pot with salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoon salt), and heat to a boil.

To prepare the seafood: Cut the calamari bodies including the tentacles, into .- inch rings. Pull off the side muscle or "foot" from the scallops and discard. Remove the shells, tails, and digestive veins from the shrimp; rinse and pat dry.

Pour the olive oil into the skillet, set it over medium- high heat, scatter in the sliced garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to sizzle and color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Dump in the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle on the teaspoon salt and the peperoncino, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring and tossing tomatoes in the pan, until softened and sizzling in their juices but still intact.

Start cooking the pasta first and the seafood right after, so they are ready at the same time. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water, stir, and return the water to a boil.

As it cooks, scatter the calamari rings and tentacles in the pan with the tomatoes, and get them sizzling over medium- high heat. Let the pieces cook for a minute or two, then toss in the scallops, and spread them out to heat and start sizzling quickly. After they've cooked for a couple of minutes, toss in the shrimp, ladle in a cup of boiling pasta water, stir the seafood and sauce together, bring to a steady simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink and begin to curl, about 3 minutes.

As soon as the spaghetti is barely al dente, lift it from the pot, drain briefly, and drop into the skillet. Toss the pasta and the simmering sauce together for a minute or two, until the spaghetti is nicely coated with sauce and perfectly al dente, and the seafood is distributed throughout the pasta. Turn off the heat, sprinkle on the basil and parsley, and drizzle on another 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss well, heap the spaghetti into warm bowls, giving each portion plenty of seafood, and serve immediately.


Recipe Courtesy of "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy," pg. 286-7