Best Scungilli Alla Marinara Recipes

CLASSIC MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.
• In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot) over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add garlic.
• As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. Add whole chile or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using) and salt. Stir.
• Place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (like a flower). Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (If using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, adding more salt and oregano as needed.) Discard basil and chile (if using).

FRA DIAVOLO SAUCE WITH PASTA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, pour in the tomatoes. Season with salt and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
• In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the shrimp and scallops. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the shrimp turn pink. Add shrimp and scallops to the tomato mixture, and stir in the parsley. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce just begins to bubble. Serve sauce over pasta.

SCUNGILLI IN MARINARA SAUCE WITH LINGUINE

Steps:

• Cook and clean the scungilli as described on page 44, cooking them until almost but not quite tender, about 25 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid and slice the scungilli thin.
• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil and cook, shaking the skillet, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the scungilli and cook, turning the pieces continuously, until light golden, about 4 minutes. Season lightly with salt.
• Pour the tomatoes into the skillet, and add the crushed red pepper, 2 bay leaves, and oregano. Bring to a vigorous boil, season lightly with salt, and boil 10 minutes. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer and cook until the scungilli are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the reserved scungilli-cooking liquid a little at a time to keep the consistency more or less the same as the sauce cooks. The finished sauce should not be too watery.
• While the sauce is simmering, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot.
• When the scungilli are tender, reduce the heat under the skillet to very low. Stir the linguine into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes.
• Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and ladle in about three-quarters of the sauce. Add the parsley and bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Simmer, tossing until the pasta is done, about 2 minutes. Check the seasoning, adding salt and crushed red pepper if necessary. Serve the pasta immediately in warm bowls, spooning the remaining sauce over the pasta.
• Prepare the marinara sauce as above, omitting the scungilli and simmering the sauce for a total of 20 minutes. Heat an additional 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 cloves crushed garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Add 1/2 pound sea scallops, each cut into two equal rounds and patted dry. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and add 1/2 pound of medium-size shelled shrimp, deveined and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook until the shrimp are bright pink on all sides. Stir the scallops and shrimp into the sauce, simmer 3 minutes, and proceed as above.

MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

SEAFOOD MARINARA PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in diced tomatoes and green onion; cook and stir until the tomatoes have softened. Stir onion mixture into the tomatoes, then add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, and thyme. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in mussels and shrimp, then pour in the wine and lemon juice. Cover and increase heat to high. Cook until shrimp have turned pink and mussels have opened, discarding any that have not opened. Serve over pasta and garnish with lemon wedges.