Scungilli in Marinara Sauce with Linguine

Preparation

1. Step 1

   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.

   Step 2

   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.

   Step 3

   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.

   Step 4

   While the sauce is simmering, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot.

   Step 5

   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.

   Step 6

   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.

2. Variation: Linguine con Frutta di Mare

   Step 7

   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.