Dei Cantoni's Rigatoni with calamari carbonara and mullet bottarga
This delicious seafood carbonara blends surf and turf in a easy to make creamy pasta dish from the restaurant Dei Cantoni in Longiano, Emilia Romagna.
Ingredients
- 320 g rigatoni
- 400 g fresh baby calamari
- 150 g pork cheek (guanciale) or pancetta
- 50 g grey mullet bottarga you can also use tuna bottarga
- 1 small onion
- 30 g grated Parmesan.
- 3 eggs
- extra virgin oilive oil
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion. Cut the pork cheek into small pieces. wash and clean the calamari and cut it into small pieces.
- Put water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts boiling.
- Cook the onion until it softens with a little olive oil in a frying pan or skillet.
- Add the pork cheek to the pan with the onion. Cook until it starts to brown
- Add the pieces of calamari to the onions and pork and let it cook for few minutes. Don’t let the calamari overcook. It only needs a few minutes
- Cook the pasta al dente in the boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet.
- In the meantime beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, some black pepper and the grated Parmesan cheese.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the calamari, onions and pork cheek. Mix everything together well.
- Add the beaten egg mixture to the pasta and mix again until the sauce looks creamy.
- Sprinkle each plate with a little mullet bottarga and serve immediately.
Notes
The chef didn't give me exact quantities for 4 people so I had to use other calamari carbonara recipes as a guide.
You can serve this dish with other long or short pasta.
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Hi Jacqui, I came across your beautiful website because I want to try to make my own lasagna sheets as two of us cannot tolerate gluten (sad face). I hear this is becoming more of an issue throughout Italy. If it has a place on your blog, we would be very grateful to hear from someone in the heart of the action (new companies, new products). We live in Switzerland and currently buy Barilla’s gluten-free line.
Hi Pamela, thanks for your comment. I’m happy you like my website!! Yes, there’s more demand for gluten free pasta here in Italy and many more companies are making it. I have to confess I’ve never tried it, although it’s on my list of things to do this year because I want to add some gluten free recipes to the blog. I’m not a big Barilla fan but there are other companies I like that make gluten free pasta,for example Rummo (said to be one of the best for gluten free pasta in Italy). I also want to try making gluten free homemade lasagne sheets. Apparently you need to add xanthan gum to your dough when using gluten free flour. Alternatively, there are some companies that make a ready gluten free flour mix for fresh pasta. One I’ve seen recommended is Nutrifree https://nutrifree.it/i-tuoi-alimenti-senza-glutine/mix-per-pasta-fresca/ Perhaps you can find it in Switzerland or order from Italy. Let me know how you get on. All the best from Verona!