It’s made by sauteing garlic in olive oil with dried red chili flakes and tossing the finished pasta with parsley and parmesan cheese. A popular variation includes clams but our version features calamari. The beauty of calamari is that it cooks in just 2 minutes and remains wonderfully tender. First make the pasta, then quickly saute the calamari, and marry the two on your plate for a sensational take on a classic.

What you’ll need:
10 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 small bunch parsley
Parmesan cheese
1 lemon (
1/2 pound fettuccine
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
10 ounces cleaned squid (rings and tentacles)
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Equipment: Grater
Large pot
Colander
Large skillet

Recipe Steps:

Prepare ingredients

1. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Cut ends off of shallots, cut in half lengthwise, then finely slice. Remove parsley leaves from stems and finely chop (2/3 cup). Grate cheese (½ cup). Cut lemon in half. Squeeze out the juice from 1 half and cut the other half into wedges.

   Cook pasta

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

   Make sauce for pasta

3. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2/3 of the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring until fragrant and just barely browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the reserved pasta water, season with salt, lower the heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

   Finish the pasta

4. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Toss in 2/3 of the parsley and all of the parmesan. Wipe out the skillet.

   Prep the squid

5. Wash and thoroughly dry squid.

   Cook the squid

6. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat in the skillet. Add remaining garlic and shallots and 1/4 teaspoon chile flake and saute for 1 minute. Add squid and cook, stirring until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and remaining chopped parsley. Serve the sautéed calamari over the pasta with lemon wedges. Enjoy!