Part of a new breed of Italian-inspired restaurants; the simple pasta dishes are the main draw at Pastaio. All pasta, including the pacherri, is made on-site each day by the restaurant’s Pastai, handmade with some of the best ‘OO’ flour available and eggs from Rodley Court Farm. From the regularly changing menu, highlights might include bucatini cacio e pepe, paper-thin agnoli filled with pheasant, rabbit and pork; or this seafood pasta dish, intended to be shared.
“Change up the seafood as you like. Bits of fish, crab claws, picked lobster would all be good. I think it’s important to include clams or mussels though, as the juicy umami broth they create is an integral component. We use pacherri, a Sicilian pasta, like a very large rigatoni.”
Making your Seafood Pacherri
Ingredients
Serves four
Olive oil, 4 tbsp
Garlic, 4 cloves, finely chopped
Mild red chilli, 1, finely chopped
Fennel seeds, ½ tsp, roughly ground
Prawns, 8, body peeled and head intact
Langoustines, 8, split lengthways
Dry white wine, 200ml (we use Greco)
Picked white crab, 100g
Mussels, 150g, washed, beards removed, etc.
Clams, 150g, washed
Flat leaf parsley, a small bunch, finely chopped
Good oil, to finish
Paccheri, 400g
Method
Boil a pan of well-salted water.
Heat a large shallow casserole dish (we use a 26cm cast iron shallow casserole dish from Le Creuset) over a medium heat. Make sure you have everything ready as above, garlic chopped and all the seafood prepped etc. You’ll need to move fast once you get going.
Drop the pasta into the water. Add the oil to the warm casserole dish and fry the garlic and chilli until it just starts to brown. Add the seafood (except the crab) and coat well in the garlic/chilli oil.
Add the white wine, turn up the heat and cover with a lid.
Once the pasta is a couple of minutes from being cooked, add it to the seafood and continue to cook all together.
Finish with the chopped parsley, crab and a little more olive oil. Give it all a good toss around and serve in the pan.
Bits of fish, crab claws, picked lobster and include clams or mussels, as the juicy umami broth they create is an integral component. Use pacherri, a Sicilian pasta, like a very large rigatoni.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Pasta
Servings 4
Author TLE Recipes
Ingredients
4tbspOlive oil
4clovesGarlicfinely chopped
1Mild red chillifinely chopped
½tspFennel seedsroughly ground
8Prawnsbody peeled and head intact
8Langoustinessplit lengthways
200mlDry white wine
100gPicked white crab
150gMusselswashed, beards removed
150gClamswashed
Flat leaf parsleya small bunch, finely chopped
Good oilto finish
400gPaccheri
Instructions
Boil a pan of well-salted water.
Heat a large shallow casserole dish (we use a 26cm cast iron shallow casserole dish from Le Creuset) over a medium heat. Make sure you have everything ready as above, garlic chopped and all the seafood prepped etc. You’ll need to move fast once you get going.
Drop the pasta into the water. Add the oil to the warm casserole dish and fry the garlic and chilli until it just starts to brown. Add the seafood (except the crab) and coat well in the garlic/chilli oil.
Add the white wine, turn up the heat and cover with a lid.
Once the pasta is a couple of minutes from being cooked, add it to the seafood and continue to cook all together.
Finish with the chopped parsley, crab and a little more olive oil. Give it all a good toss around and serve in the pan.