It’s October! The weather gets cooler, the air is crisp, the energy is fun and festive. I love the changing leaves and all the warm coziness that fall brings. Its also #spookyszn, which means anything goes! Here, I’ve prepared Black Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp. It visually embodies #spookyszn with its dark color, red tomatoes, and bright green basil. The taste is all the comfort of pasta that we love. This recipe was adapted from Eataly’s “All About Pasta'“ cookbook.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined
Fine sea salt to taste
Coarse sea salt for cooking pasta
1 pound squid ink fettuccine
¼ cup diced pancetta
4 tablespoons white wine
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
¾ cup petite diced roma tomatoes
¼ cup chopped basil

Preparation

1.Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan over low heat.

2. Once the pan is warm, add the oil and garlic cloves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is almost brown.

3. Add the shrimp and sauté until cooked through. Season with fine sea salt and remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4.Season the boiling water with coarse sea salt and add the pasta.

5. Add the diced pancetta to the pan in which you cooked the shrimp and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook to brown, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine.

6. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the wine has reduced by three-quarters. Add the diced tomatoes and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced by about a quarter and is thickened. Taste and adjust salt.

7. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta in a colander, then transfer to the pan with the sauce.

8. Toss the pasta vigorously to coat it with the sauce. Add the shrimp and basil and continue to toss with the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add some cooking water in small amounts. Toss to combine well and serve immediately.