Ten years, countless plates of handmade pasta and a dining destination Aucklanders return to time and again. This month, Amano celebrates a decade as one of the city’s most beloved restaurants, having built an enviable reputation for exceptional food, warm hospitality and an unmistakable atmosphere that has made it a firm favourite since opening its doors.
From its freshly baked pastries and bustling dining room to its dedication to seasonal New Zealand ingredients and traditional Italian techniques, the Britomart institution has become an integral part of Auckland’s dining culture. And while there is plenty to love about its menu, certain dishes have become synonymous with the restaurant itself.
Among them is the much-loved scampi chitarra, a delicious combination of handmade pasta, sweet scampi, tomato and chilli, finished with a rich, buttery sauce. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Amano is letting us in on the secrets behind this iconic dish, sharing the full recipe so you can recreate a little of the magic at home.
Amano’s scampi chitarra with tomato & chilli
Ingredients
- 100g fresh egg pasta noodles
- 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8g garlic, minced
- 8g red chilli, minced
- 60g unsalted butter
- 80g fish stock
- 10g Italian parsley, chopped
- 70g scampi tails, shelled, deveined and cut
- 15g pangrattato
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- A little neutral oil, for cooking
Method
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Mix the chilli and garlic into a paste and set aside.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a little neutral oil. Once hot, add the tomatoes and chilli-garlic paste, cooking until the tomatoes begin to break down.
Add the fish stock and bring to the boil.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water. Fresh pasta cooks quickly.
Add half the butter to the tomato sauce and allow it to reduce.
When the pasta is just over halfway cooked, drain it, reserving a little pasta water, and transfer it to the pan to finish cooking. Keep the pasta moving to release its starch and thicken the sauce.
Add the scampi and remaining butter, cooking until the scampi is just done and the sauce has thickened.
Finish with parsley, a squeeze of lemon and salt to taste. Plate and top with pangrattato.
(Serves one)
Amano’s tip: No scampi? Shelled prawn tails make an excellent substitute. And if you don’t have pangrattato, simply toast panko breadcrumbs in olive oil until golden.
