Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia con Granchio

My cousin recently received a promotion and could not turn down a great opportunity to live in Las Vegas.  I am saddened by him leaving San Francisco because I have such great memories hanging out with him and he was definitely one of the reasons I ultimately fell in love with the city. While I will be losing family up here in the Bay area, I wish him and his family all the best. I can't wait to visit Las Vegas and see how they're doing in the future.

Since my cousin's moving date is fast approaching, he gave me some squid ink pasta (from my aunt's trip to Italy) and some crab meat to use. I researched a couple of recipes online and decided that I would put two of my favorite ones (incorporating ingredients that I liked) into one. The result was delicious and I will definitely have to make more crab pasta again since it was pretty simple, fast, and easy to create.

Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia con Granchio

Yields about 4 servings

Ingredients

½ pound squid ink pasta

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup jarred sweet pickled / smoked  peppers (Trader Joe's has a good one)

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Garlic cloves to preference, very thinly sliced (I use a lot because I love garlic)

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

8 ounces fresh lump crab-meat
¼ cup basil leaves, shredded
1 1/2 cup of cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 lemon juiced
Lemon zest for garnish

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic begins to become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the sweetened/smoked peppers and cook until peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the white wine, lemon juice, and tomato paste, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Lower the flame and add in the cream, stirring to combine until the tomato paste is well mixed with the cream. Keep warm over low heat. Season as needed.
3. When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat with the sauce, moistening it with the reserved pasta water as desired.
4. Just before serving, add the crabmeat and basil to the sauce and toss gently. Divide the pasta evenly among 4 plates, garnish with lemon zest, and serve immediately.

Salute!