SEAFOOD STEW WITH HAND-MADE PASTA

I frequently take inspiration from TV cooking programs. My favorite is probably Cómetelo on Canal Sur because it’s mostly focussed on the cooking of Andalusia, which is where I live. The chef’s recipe for a seafood stew with hand-made pasta looked appetizing and easy to make.

Andrajos is a rustic dish from the provinces of Jaén, Granada and Murcia. It consists of rough pasta cooked with a stew, usually of bacalao, salt cod, or wild game such as rabbit, hare or partridge. The TV chef had used instead squid and shrimp in the stew. 

Seafood stew with cuttlefish, ready to have the liquid and pasta added.

A simple stock made with shrimp shells gives the stew depth of flavor. Chewy pasta and tender cuttlefish add textural contrast. Mint complements the flavors. Adding vegetables--such as baby fava beans--is optional.

My version of the stew has shrimp, clams and tiny fava beans.

Pasta “Rags”

Andrajos

Rough-cut pasta in any shape.

The name of this pasta comes from the tattered shapes of the dough. You can either roll out the dough and cut it into irregular shapes or divide it into nut-sized balls and roll them out in disks. Add the disks of pasta to the stew and use two forks to tear it into smaller pieces or tatters. 

Cook this pasta right in the stew.

1 cup flour plus additional for rolling out

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon warm water

Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil and water. Use a fork to blend the flour into the liquids. Use the hands to squeeze the dough into a ball. Knead the dough, either in the bowl or on a board, for a few minutes until smooth and stretchy. Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each half out as thinly as possible, adding a little flour, as needed, to the rolling pin and the board. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into approximate 2-inch squares, strips, triangles or free-form shapes. Place them on a baking sheet covered with a clean cloth and allow them to dry while preparing the seafood stew. (If desired, the pasta can be dried for 12 hours, then stored, tightly sealed in a plastic bag and refrigerated, until ready to use.)

Seafood Stew with Cuttlefish and Pasta Rags

Guisote de Jibia con Andrajos

Cuttlefish cut in pieces.

Cuttlefish (sepia or jibia) is a meaty cephalopod, perfect for a stew as it’s almost impossible to overcook it. Squid (calamar) can be used instead or, indeed, any solid-fleshed fish such as monkfish. 

I used heads-on shrimp in this dish. The heads and shells plus any trimmings from the cuttlefish make a deeply flavorful stock for cooking the stew. If not available, use a store-bought seafood stock. I’ve added fresh baby fava beans to the stew. 

Ingredients for sofrito plus fava beans.

½ pound heads-on shrimp

1 ½ pounds cleaned cuttlefish

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons pimentón (paprika, not smoked)

6 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

4 cloves chopped garlic

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

3 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Pinch of saffron threads

Pinch of dried mint

1 teaspoon cumin

3 ½ cups shrimp stock

Small clams (optional)

1 cup shelled fava beans or peas

Sprigs of fresh mint, to serve

Andrajos pasta

Shell the shrimp, saving heads and shells. Refrigerate the shelled shrimp until ready to prepare the seafood stew. Cut the cuttlefish into approximate 1 ½-inch pieces. Add any trimmings or cartilage to the shrimp shells.

Add cuttlefish to the sofrito.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shrimp shells and cuttlefish trimmings and sauté them on medium-high heat until they are sizzling. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pimentón. Add the water, bay and salt. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. Cover and cook 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook 10 minutes longer. Pour the stock through a colander. Discard the solids. Save the stock.

Heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a cazuela or wide pan. Sauté the onion, garlic and two kinds of peppers on moderate heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add the cut-up pieces of cuttlefish to this sofrito. Spread them in the pan and raise the heat. Fry, without stirring, until the cuttlefish begin to sizzle, meaning the liquid has been cooked away. Then stir and fry another few minutes. 

Add pieces of pasta to the simmering stew.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, saffron, mint, cumin and ½ cup of the shrimp stock in a blender. Blend until smooth and add to the pan with the cuttlefish. Add remaining 3 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cuttlefish is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the clams, if using, the reserved shrimp and the fava beans. With the sauce bubbling gently, add the pasta a few pieces at a time. Cook, uncovered, until clam shells open and pasta is cooked, 5-10 minutes.

Allow the stew to rest, covered, off the heat 5 minutes. Serve garnished with mint sprigs.

 More recipes with hand-made pasta:

Chicken Stew with Pasta "Rags".

Rabbit with Beans and Pasta.