Spaguetti Calamarata with ragú de calamares with Grana Padano

These spaghetti calamarata with creamy squid ragout were taught to me by Carmela, the cook at Tratoria De Antonino, a small restaurant in Praiano, on the Amalfi Coast, and although it is not a dish from this coast, she is from Naples and I thought it was delicious.

We stopped to eat there on the way to Amalfi and I liked them so much that I asked if I could talk to the cook so he could explain how to prepare them. To my surprise it was a cook, Carmela, the owner's wife. Their secret is to add grated cheese to the ragù to make it creamier and more flavorful and to prepare it with red wine instead of white wine to give more depth to the flavor. The result is a delicious calamari ragout that works magic with the pasta.

Buon appetito!

Ingredients

1 kg of squid
4 salted anchovies
500 g canned peeled tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of chopped parsley
Half a glass of white wine
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
1 chilli
90 g of Grana Padano
300 g spaghetti

Directions

Clean the squid, removing the skin and entrails, and cut them into 3 cm slices.

In a saucepan with a lid, heat a splash of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped garlic and chilli, anchovies and parsley branches. Melt everything over low heat, stirring constantly.

Add the squid and Grana Panado and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the water evaporates. Pour the white wine and stir a few times.

Add the peeled tomatoes and cook over medium heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the squid is tender and the tomatoes have fallen apart.

Season. Uncover and reduce the sauce if necessary.

Cook the pasta al dente in a pot with a pasta drainer.

Add the spaghetti and a little of the cooking water. Swirl the saucepan to mix the sauce, add the chopped parsley and serve.