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Ingredients
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Pasta & Base
Vegetables & Greens
Squid & Sauce (Nero/Ink Diavolo)
Finishing & Garnish
Method
Pasta & Base
- 1
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt. Add cavatelli and cook according to package directions until al dente (usually 3–6 minutes for fresh; longer if frozen). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside.
Vegetables & Greens
- 2
Blanch rapini
While the pasta water is heating, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the trimmed rapini for 1–2 minutes until bright green and slightly tender. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking, then drain and roughly chop if not already.
- 3
Sauté garlic and rapini in butter
In a large wide skillet or sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and just starting to color, about 1 minute. Add the blanched, chopped rapini and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté, tossing, for 2–3 minutes until heated through and coated in butter. Season with a pinch of salt. Transfer the rapini mixture to a bowl and keep warm.
Squid & Sauce (Nero/Ink Diavolo)
- 4
- 5
Deglaze and build sauce
Lower heat to medium and add the white wine to the skillet to deglaze, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by about half, 2–3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and smoked paprika and cook 1 minute to bloom flavors. Add the fish or vegetable stock, cherry tomatoes, and squid ink; stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and let the sauce reduce and thicken slightly, about 4–6 minutes. Taste and season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (adjust to taste). Stir in lemon juice.
- 6
Return squid to sauce
Add the seared squid back to the skillet and simmer gently for 1–2 minutes to finish cooking and absorb flavor. Do not overcook; squid should be tender.
Assembly & Finishing
- 7
Toss together
Add the drained cavatelli to the skillet with the nero diavolo sauce and squid (if space requires, return sauce and squid to a larger sauté pan). Add the rapini-butter mixture. Toss gently to combine. If the sauce seems thick, add reserved pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time until the sauce clings to the pasta (use up to 1/2 cup). Finish with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil to add sheen.
- 8
Serve
Divide cavatelli among warm plates. Garnish with chopped parsley and a light grating of Pecorino or Parmesan if using. Finish with an extra twist of black pepper and serve immediately.