Oven-Baked Seafood Spaghetti (Spaghetti al Cartoccio)
How to make "spaghetti al cartoccio"—pasta that is boiled and sauced, then wrapped in parchment paper or foil and baked with a variety of seafood.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- ¼cup olive oil
- 1clove garlic, crushed
- ½fresh red chile pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
- 20small squid, or calamari, optional
- 20clams
- 16mussels
- 16prawns , or large shrimp
- 3moderately ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
- 5fresh basil leaves
- 2tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- ¾pound dried spaghetti
- Fine sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Step 1
Wash all the shellfish very well. Set a pot with 3 quarts of lightly salted water to boil over high heat.Step 2
In the meantime, pour the olive oil into a large skillet and add the garlic, the chile pepper, and the seafood. Cook over a low flame for 5 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, basil, and parsley. Simmer for 15 minutes.Step 3
Preheat your oven to 450 F (250 C).Step 4
Keep an eye on the pasta pot as the sauce simmers, and when the water boils add the pasta. Let it cook until half done (usually about 4 minutes), then drain it well in a colander and transfer it while it is still dripping to the skillet with the sauce.Step 5
Toss the pasta-and-sauce mixture by moving the skillet as you would if you were flipping an omelet. Roll out a long sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper and fold up the sides to make a box-like container.Step 6
Transfer the pasta to the container, fold the aluminum foil or paper over it, and crimp the edges together to make a sealed pouch (you can also make individual pouches for your guests if you wish).Step 7
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, at which point the pouch will have puffed up. Slide it onto a serving dish and open it at the table.