Tastes of Tuscany

Pasta with Seafood and Cherry Tomatoes 'Al Cartoccio'

Katie Caldesi says
Literally translated 'al cartoccio' means cooked 'in a parcel'. The incredible flavours of the seafood are kept within the bag resulting in a wonderful aroma when the paper parcel is cut open. This dish is normally cooked with dried pasta but I love this version as the more absorbent fresh pasta really soaks up the juices and enhances the flavour.

Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
• 300g vine cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 sprig of parsley left whole
• 500g assorted seafood such as tuna, salmon, prawns, monkfish, squid, clams, mussels
• 150ml Gabbiano Pinot Grigio IGT Delle Venezie wine
• 100ml fish stock or water
• 300g pasta such as linguine, fettuccine or tagliatelle
• 4 large sheets of baking parchment

Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Boil a large saucepan of salted water. Meanwhile put a frying pan onto a medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the chilli, shallot, garlic, pepper and salt and fry for 2 minutes.

Then add the seafood to the frying pan and continue cooking for two minutes or until all the shells are open. Discard any that stay closed. Add the cherry tomatoes and parsley and cook for another couple of minutes. Finally add the Gabbiano wine, simmer and reduce briefly. Add the fish stock or the water.

Cook the pasta according to instructions on packet but undercook by a couple of minutes. When the pasta is ready, drain immediately and add to the seafood mixture in the frying pan. Toss the ingredients together.

Spread out four pieces of baking parchment on to a work surface and using a pair of tongs, put four even portions of the pasta onto them. Pour over any juices - they will be absorbed by the pasta during cooking. Wrap up the parcels like presents by pulling the parchment up from the front and back into the middle. Fold the top edges together over and over again leaving the join in the centre. Then turn in the side ends inwards several times to seal in the juices. Put them into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove, unwrap the centre join to let out the steam and bring to the table still in cartoccio.

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