Campofilone Pasta with Langoustines

Maccheroncini di Campofilone con gli Scampi
= Serves 6

The women of the town of Campofilone have an international reputation
for their pasta-making prowess. Their wheat is top quality. They use farm-fresh
eggs instead of water, which give the pasta its golden color, and they leave it to
air-dry very slowly. This slow drying, over the course of a few days, is very important:
Industrial pasta is dried quickly, using heat, and as a result, it is already partially
cooked.
In Le Marche, we used large mantis shrimp for this recipe, but since they are
difficult to find here in America, I make the dish with langoustines. As for
Campofilone pasta, if you cannot find it at a local gourmet market, there are many
Internet sources. High-quality angel hair pasta (an artisanal brand)
is an acceptable substitute.
2 pounds langoustines
3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
3 small fresh red chiles, seeded and finely
chopped
12 plum tomatoes, peeled, halved, seeded,
and each half quartered
Kosher salt and freshly ground
white pepper
3⁄4 pound Campofilone maccheroncini
(or high-quality angel hair pasta)
2 tablespoons chopped Italian
parsley
24 basil leaves, torn in half
To prepare the langoustines, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the langoustines in the
boiling water for 5 seconds. Transfer to the bowl of ice water and chill for 1
minute to stop the cooking, then drain and place on a baking sheet. Separate
the tail section from the body of each one (the bodies and shells can be
reserved for making stock). Use a pair of scissors to cut down both sides of
each tail shell and remove the bottom of the shell. Gently remove the tail meat
from the upper shell. Place the meat in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate.


Bring another large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, heat 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over mediumhigh
heat. Add the langoustines and sauté for about 1 minute, until they are
just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Discard the oil
remaining in the pan.
Pour the remaining 1⁄2 cup of the olive oil into the sauté pan and let it
warm for 1 minute. Add the garlic, chiles, and tomatoes and sauté for 2 to 3
minutes, until the tomatoes soften and the garlic looks wilted. Remove the
sauce from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in a
warm spot.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes, or until al
dente. Drain well.
Meanwhile, bring the sauce just to a simmer over medium-high heat. As
soon as it returns to a simmer, add the pasta, langoustines, and parsley.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the basil leaves, and serve
immediately in warm pasta bowls.