In short. Mari e monti — sea and mountains — is orecchiette with mixed shellfish, cuttlefish and fresh rocket. The quantities below are the ones handed down to us: for ten people. Scale accordingly.
The name says what it does: the sea brings the shellfish, the land brings the rocket, and the pasta holds the two together. It is a dish for a table with people around it.
Ingredients (for 10)
- 1 kg of orecchiette
- 1.5 kg of mixed shellfish — mussels, clams, fasolari, lupini
- 2 fresh cuttlefish, around 1 kg in total
- 3 small tomatoes
- 150 g of fresh rocket
- 2 cloves of garlic
- extra virgin olive oil, salt
Method
1. The cuttlefish. Clean and wash them, then cut into small pieces.
2. Opening the shellfish. Put the washed shellfish in a pan over a low heat and let them open. Let them cool, then shell them. Filter the cooking liquid through a fine strainer and keep it with the shellfish — that liquid is the flavour of the dish.
3. The base. In a large pan heat 5–6 tablespoons of oil and crush the two garlic cloves with a fork. Let them colour over a low heat, then remove the garlic and add the tomatoes, cut very small — they are there for colour more than anything.
4. Cooking. After half a minute add the cuttlefish and cook over a low heat until their liquid has evaporated. Then add the shellfish and their filtered liquid, and give it 3–4 minutes. Taste before salting — usually you will not need to.
5. The pasta. Meanwhile cook the orecchiette, 8–10 minutes. Drain and tip them into a large bowl with the shellfish. Roughly chop the rocket, fold it through, and serve hot.
The wine. The tradition pairs this with a good white — a Gravina DOC, from the Murgia, which is dry enough to stand up to the shellfish.
Do not salt early. Shellfish bring their own salt, and the filtered cooking liquid concentrates as it reduces. Salting at the start is the one mistake that cannot be undone.
More pasta dishes on the first courses page.
