Spaghettoni with mussels, squid and baked tomatoes

Ingredients for 4 persons:

320 g spaghettoni; 500 g fresh mussels; 150 g squid; 150 g red date tomatoes; 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 40 g parsley; 2 cloves garlic; Chili pepper to taste; 1 sprig dill; 80 ml extra virgin olive oil; Salt and sugar to taste.

Proceedings

For the baked tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash and cut the dates in half. Place them on an oiled baking sheet with the seed side up. Season with a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of sugar and the thyme leaves. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are caramelized.

For the mussels

Thoroughly clean the mussels by removing the byssus and rinse them under running water. In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil with a clove of garlic and parsley stalks. Add the mussels, cover with a lid and let them open over high heat for about 4 minutes. Shell the mussels and strain their cooking water, which will be used for the mantecatura.

For the squid

Clean the squid by removing guts, beak and outer skin. Cut them in half and gently cut a grid on the inside. Julienne the wings and rinse well in cold water.

Dish composition

In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghettoni for 2 minutes less than the indicated time. Meanwhile, finely chop garlic, parsley, and chili pepper.

In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil and saute the squid for one minute. Add the chopped aromatic herbs and the baked dates. Drain the spaghetti and transfer to the casserole. Finish cooking by tossing in the mussels and their filtered water.

Plating

Roll the spaghetti noodles into a nest and arrange them on a soup plate. Top with the seafood dressing and decorate with fresh dill leaves.

Wine pairing

(Edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Salento Malvasia Donna Lisa 2020 Leone De Castris

Intense, bright straw yellow. Slightly aromatic on the nose with notes of wild flowers, alfalfa, nectarine. Full and composed on the sip, soft and saline. Persistent finish.

Production area: Salento peninsula, on clay-loam soil.

Grape varieties: 100% White Malvasia. Spurred cordon training with 5000 vines per ha. Average age of the vineyard 15 years

Harvest: second decade of September.

Production processes: Cold maceration followed by static decantation. Fermentation with selected yeasts from the same grapes vinified in steel and stay on the fine lees of fermentation for about 6 months with continuous bâtonnage. Maturation in bottle minimum 6 months.

Alcohol content: 13.5% vol.

Serving temperature: 10-12°C

Recommended pairing: Excellent with fish soups, risottos and white meats.