Some see Lent as a drag. We see it as an excuse to splurge on seafood. Whatever your faith, this recipe for capellini and cockles will have you crying alleluia. We start with fresh angel hair from Severino, heavenly hand-spooled strands that cook up in mere minutes, and cute, green-lipped cockles that are almost always available Ippolito’s, located just around the block from Green Aisle, for around $7 per pound (approximately 30 cockles). Warmed with cinnamon and brightened with preserved lemon, the spicy marinara evokes Sicily. Recipe after the jump
INGREDIENTS 1 lb. fresh capellini (or other long pasta) 2 cups crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling) 1/2 preserved lemon 1 tsp. cinnamon chips 1 habanero pepper, seeded 2 garlic cloves 1 baby fennel, whole 1 handful chopped fresh oregano Salt and pepper to taste PREP 1. One hour before cooking, soak the cockles in a bowl of cold water mixed with a tablespoon on salt to expel any sand or grit. Store in the fridge. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil with 1 tbsp. olive oil. 3. Toast cinnamon chips in a dry skillet until fragrant, approximately three minutes. Grind in a spice mill and reserve. 4. In a food processor, pulse the garlic, habanero and preserved lemon into a chunky paste and reserve. COOK 1. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a deep-bottomed pan. Add garlic-chile-lemon paste and saute until fragrant, approximately 5 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and allow to reduce by half, approximately 5 minutes. 4. Remove the tops off the fennel and add to pan with crushed tomatoes, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. 5. Add a handful of salt to the boiling water. Add the pasta. After the water has turned a bit cloudy, approximately 2 minutes, add 2 ladles of the pasta water to the simmering tomato sauce. Cook pasta another 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. 6. Remove the cockles from the fridge. Pluck them from the bowl of salt-water (any expelled sand or grit will stay in the bottom of the bowl) and add them to the tomato sauce. Cover and steam until all cockles have opened, 3-5 minutes. 7. While cockles steam, thinly slice the remaining fennel and reserve for garnish. Roughly chop the fresh oregano and reserve for garnish. 8. Remove cockles from pan and reserve, discarding any that haven’t opened. Transfer pasta directly from water to tomato sauce and toss to coat. PLATE Serve pasta in a deep bowl surrounded by cockles. Garnish with fennel, oregano and drizzle of olive oil.