To start the week, today I propose a recipe I prepared last weekend, using the last of the Pachino sun-dried tomatoes, gifted by my friend Gaetana Picone, also a food blogger, during our meeting in Sicily last October! She bought me so many that I had to buy a vacuum packer to keep their organoleptic properties intact! But it was truly worth it! It resulted in a fish-based main course that was finger-licking good!!! The swordfish sauce, the savoriness of the tomatoes, and the crunchiness of the just-blanched asparagus made this dish truly fantastic, so much so that, despite my husband and I promising not to have seconds to start controlling our portions and calories, we couldn’t stick to this rule! The combination was further enhanced with cooking water blended with turmeric, a spice I love very much, which provided an amber color and an aromatic taste that was just wonderful! The choice of pasta shape is what I find most suitable when cooking fish, perfect in my opinion for holding its shape and remaining firm just right. However, you can choose whatever you prefer or have available in your pantry. It will be delicious anyway!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Expensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients:
- 11 oz Calamarata
- 2 slices Swordfish (about 12 oz total)
- 5.3 oz Pre-cooked chickpeas
- 3.5 oz Sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 bunch Asparagus
- 3.4 tbsp White wine
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 handful Chopped parsley
- to taste Chili pepper
- to taste Salt
Preparation:
Start by blanching the sun-dried tomatoes for 2′ in boiling water. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Meanwhile, clean the asparagus, removing the toughest part of the stem and keeping the tips for other preparations (fig. 1).
Scrape the stems with a vegetable peeler and dice them. Blanch for 2′ in boiling water (fig. 2).
Cut the swordfish into chunks, removing the skin (fig. 3).
In a wok, brown the garlic with 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 of water. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the drained asparagus and cook over high heat for about 1′ (fig. 4).
Also add the swordfish and deglaze with white wine, letting it evaporate for a few minutes (fig. 5).
Lower the heat and continue cooking for 7-8′, adding a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water if necessary. A couple of minutes before turning off, add the well-drained pre-cooked chickpeas, then season with salt and pepper (fig. 6).
Meanwhile, take 2 ladles of cooking water and place them in a glass bowl. Blend them with turmeric (fig. 7).
Drain the pasta al dente and transfer it to the bowl with the water and turmeric, then mix well and let it flavor (fig. 8).
Transfer everything to the wok and mix with the rest of the ingredients finishing the cooking. Turn off and serve hot with plenty of chopped parsley.
And voilà, your turmeric calamarata with swordfish and asparagus is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from Fefe’s kitchen!
