I am a real lover of what I call clean and fresh pasta dishes and this is a classic example. Wonderful calamari, some chilli, garlic and a little rosemary, lemon and some toasted garlic crumbs to serve. Add a slice or two of lemon and you have perfection. Serve with a light red such as a Chianti.
Spaghettini and calamari, rosemary and lemon
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
500g cleaned calamari, cut into 2cm dice
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
400g dried spaghettini or 300g fresh ( I like to make my own, but dried is fine)
Lemon wedges, to serve
Toasted crumbs
70g coarse fresh sourdough crumbs
60ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and onion and stir occasionally until onion starts to caramelise (10-15 minutes). Increase heat to high, add calamari, rosemary, garlic and chilli and toss occasionally until calamari is just cooked (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat, add lemon rind and juice and season to taste.
Meanwhile, for toasted crumbs, combine ingredients in a frying pan over medium-high heat and stir until crisp (5-10 minutes). Set aside.
Cook spaghettini in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (8-10 minutes). Drain, reserving a little cooking water, toss with calamari and reserved water and mix until pasta is well coated. Serve hot, sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs, with lemon wedges to the side.
