Spaghetti with Calamari and Artichokes
Spaghetti with artichokes and calamari was a dish that we had at a restaurant in Anzio last spring, the combination of the two was wonderful and I had been meaning to make it at home, but was never able to find artichokes and calamari at the same time. With fall’s artichokes I have made a number of dishes, I love artichokes and I love the idea of such an earthy flower being complimented by the sea.
I haven’t had a lot of experience cooking calamari, I have an easier time finding cuttlefish at the market, I have found that there aren’t any differences in the way that you cook them though they are much milder in flavor. They also turn a beautiful purple and white when you cook them, which is so pretty.
Spaghetti with Calamari and Artichokes
- 4 medium sized artichokes, trimmed and cleaned
- 1 lb of cleaned calamari
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
- ½ lb of spaghetti
- ½ cup of chopped fresh flat parsley
- 1 whole lemon
- salt to taste
Prepare a bowl with cold water and lemon juice.
Clean the artichokes by eliminating their outer leaves; you can do this by bending them and snapping them off. Do this until you get to the leaves that are lighter in color. Cut off the tip of the central cone, to eliminate the tougher green end of the leaves. Cut the heart in half and scoop out the inside chokes with a knife or a small spoon. Cut the heart of the artichoke into thin slices and immerse in the lemon water.
If your artichokes have stems, cut the stem off and peel it of its outer skin. Chop into small cubes to be used in the sauce as well, it would be shame to throw them away.
Rinse the calamari and cut into strips, separating the tentacles from the body.
Heat oil in a deep skillet or a wide saucepan over medium heat and add whole cloves of garlic. When the garlic starts to simmer, add calamari, stir to absorb the oil and then add the white wine. You want the calamari to be covered in white wine. Let the calamari simmer for about 15 minutes or until a lot of the wine has been absorbed.
Add the artichokes slices and stems and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a medium flame and cover pan, stirring occasionally. Sauté for at least another 30 minutes, or until the artichokes are soft, if the sauce starts to dry out, add water to the pan.
Chop parsley.
In the meantime, fill a large pot with water for the pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water starts to boil for the pasta add a small handful of salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
When the pasta is perfectly al dente, turn up the heat on the sauce and drain the pasta. Without shaking all of the water out of the colander pour the pasta into the pan and toss it with the sauce. This allows for the pasta to cook a little longer in the sauce and to absorb the flavor. Once you have plated the pasta, add the chopped parsley.
Italicious 