Giro d'Italia '20 - Stage 10: Lanciano to Tortoreto.
After a recharging rest day, the riders and I are back at it. As the stage transitioned from rain to the sun that beamed brightly upon Peter Sagan, on his first Giro d’Italia stage win, this deliciously bright dish, which celebrates the Adriatic Sea coast of Abruzzo, brought our palates back to life! What I liked about this dish, aside from the fact it was delicious, was that it comes together so quickly. I was able to run out to my local fishmonger, purchasing the freshest seafood, and brought everything together and onto the plates all within my lunch hour. It’s all about timing and minimal juggling that anyone should be able to pull off with little difficulty. As my younger daughter came downstairs to eat, she exclaimed: “it smells like the ocean!” That’s when I knew I really nailed it.
Paccheri with Seafood
½ tsp saffron
Extra-virgin olive oil
28 oz. can of whole tomatoes
Red pepper flakes
Anchovy paste
Garlic
1 lb. clams
½ lb. shrimp
½ lb. scallops
1 lb. Paccheri or other large tubed pasta
Parsley
Place the saffron in a small bowl and cover with a few tablespoons of warm water to steep. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the small, rectangular extra piece of muscle found on the side of a scallop and cut into quarters and set aside (skip this step if you can only get bay scallops) and peel and devein the shrimp and set aside. Preheat a large skillet with ¼ cup of evoo over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then stir to brown on the other side for about 2 mins, and reserve on a plate. While the scallops cook, fill a bowl of water and scrub the clam shells and place in the bowl of water to help remove any grit.
After the scallops are done, heat another 2 tbsp of evoo in the same pan, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, 6 crushed garlic cloves and a tablespoon of anchovy paste, stirring to incorporate. After a minute or so, add the tomatoes, crushing them by hand or with a spoon, add some water to the can and swirl around to get the remaining tomato and pour into the pan and raise the heat to high. Stir everything to incorporate along with a ¼ tsp. of salt.
When the tomatoes start to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and maintain a simmer. After 8 minutes of simmering, drop the pasta into the pot of boiling water, stirring for the first minute. Then drain and add the saffron broth and clams to the pan of the tomatoes along with the cooked scallops. Stir everything to incorporate into the sauce, turn the heat to high and cover the pot. Shake the pot every 30 seconds over the course of 3 minutes.
Uncover the pot and toss in the shrimp, stirring, and when it restarts to boil, reduce the heat to low to a bare simmer. When the pasta is nearly cooked, transfer it with a slotted spoon to the pan of seafood and stir to combine. You may need to add some pasta water to the sauce to finish the pasta cooking. Transfer to plates and garnish with some evoo and a sprinkle of minced fresh parsley.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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