THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019
www.italoamericano.org
30
L'Italo-Americano
Spaghetti with squid ink are fantastic to look at … and they taste just as good (© Dreamstime)
LA BUONA TAVOLA
RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES
FRANK FARIELLO
Continued to page 32
Spaghetti al nero di seppia
H
ave you ever tried
squid ink? I reckon
that
many of our
readers, Italian food
lovers as they are,
haven't yet.
Squid
ink has a unique
"earthy" flavor, a silky mouth feel
and an alluring jet black color that
couples perfectly with pasta. I find
it irresistible.
The
recipe for spaghetti al nero
di seppia is really simple: you
begin much as if you were making
a basic aglio, olio e peperoncino,
then add finely chopped up squid
and
let it braise with a splash of
white wine until tender. Then, in
goes the squid ink: let it simmer
for a minute or two and it'll work
its magic. This intensely savory
sauce
goes beautifully with
spaghetti or any other long pasta
such as linguine or even tagli-
atelle. And if you're in Venice,
bigoli would be a classic choice.
I'd really encourage you to
give spaghetti al nero di seppia a
try.
Somehow both elegant and
rustic at the same time, it's a dish
equally perfect for a dinner party
or a simple family meal.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
500g (1 lb) spaghetti or other
long pasta
500-750g (1 lb) small (baby)
squid, cut into small pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and
chopped
1-2 peperoncini, or a pinch of
red pepper flakes
A few sprigs of fresh parsley,
finely minced
A splash of white wine
4-6 sachets of squid ink (4g
each), to taste
Salt
Directions
In a large pan, gently sauté the
chopped garlic, parsley and peper-
oncini or red pepper flakes in
olive oil until the garlic is just be-
ginning to turn brown. (Remove
the peperoncini if using).
Add the cut up squid and give
it a good stir to cover it with the
seasoned oil. Let the squid sweat
in the oil, uncovered, for a few
minutes. Add a splash of white
wine and cover, letting the squid
simmer very gently for another 15
minutes, or until tender.
When the squid is done, add
the squid ink (along with a drizzle
of water if needed, to keep things
saucy) and continue simmering
until the sauce is thick and very
black.
The inky black of nero di seppia (© Dreamstime)
