Spaghetti Lo Scoglio
Our featured recipe inspired by our travels in Bath England is Spaghetti Lo Scoglio.
Upon our arrival in Bath England, we quickly caught on to the deep Romanesque immersion that cloaked this city. We knew about the world famous Roman Baths Museum. A visit to this site was prominent on our itinerary. Still, we were pleased to also see the ample amount of Italian cuisine offered by local restaurants in this British city.
Our first dinner in Bath was at the Ponte Vecchio restaurant. The menu boasted a wonderful array of choices. Among our selections, was a Spaghetti Lo Scoglio or Seafood Pasta. This offering at the restaurant is described offers spaghetti pasta with mussels, clams, prawn and calamari, in a cherry tomato sauce with a pinch of chilli and garlic. It’s a tour of the ocean, on a plate, Italian style. Wonderful.
Below is the recipe for our recreation of this meal. We made a few adjustments, but kept in the spirit of the dinner enjoyed at Ponte Vecchio. The recipe is portioned for two servings.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chili pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes or 16 ounces chopped cherry tomatoes
Oregano
Thyme
Salt and pepper
6 ounces dry spaghetti or linguini
Olive oil
8 calamari rings and/or 4 medium size scallops
4 each: medium-size peeled and uncooked shrimp, mussels, clams
1/2 cup white wine
Parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese (optional)
DIRECTIONS
SAUCE: First, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Next, add garlic and chili pepper to the oil and cook for a minute or two. Then, add the tomatoes to the pan along. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer the sauce over a low heat for 45 minutes. Add water if sauce starts to thicken too much.
PASTA: Cook according to direction on the package. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Set the cooked pasta to the side, drizzled with olive oil to minimize stickiness.
SEAFOOD: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.
SCALLOPS: Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes per side. Set aside when done.
SHRIMP: Next, add shrimp to the pan and cook until slightly pink, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside when done.
CALAMARI: Cook the calamari for about two minutes. Set aside when done.
MUSSELS: Begin by creating a seafood broth. Add the pasta water to the pan in which shrimp and seafood have been cooked. Add oregano and thyme. Simmer for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to release previously cooked elements of seafood. Next, add the mussels along with 2 teaspoons of oil. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the mussels as soon as they open and set them aside.
CLAMS: Cook clams similarly as the mussels. They may take an extra minute or so before opening. Set aside when done.
ASSEMBLE: After cooking the seafood, strain the fish broth through a sieve and return the strained liquid to the pan. Pour in the wine and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the scallops, calamari and shrimp to the pan. Top with half of the tomato sauce and stir. Add the pasta and the rest of the tomato sauce. Finally, fold in the mussels and clams.
SERVE: Lastly, ladle the seafood mixture into bowls. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese.
OUR RECREATION OF SPAGHETTI LO SCOGLIO
SERVING RECOMMENDATION
Our starter for this at Ponte Vecchio was a Roasted Beet Salad. We have also recreated a recipe for that salad. You can find it at the following link:
https://www.theplaceswherewego.com/roasted-beet-salad/
