Busiate with crab, ginger, and pangrattato

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 25 MINS (PLUS RESTING)

These little twists are best made the day before you serve them – they hold their shape better when they’ve dried out. As for the sauce, we’ve kept it simple with a flavoured oil, crab and a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs for the perfect textural contrast.

400 gm (2⅔ cups) “00” flour 100 gm day-old crustless sourdough bread, processed to fine breadcrumbs

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to serve

CRAB AND GINGER SAUCE

125 ml (½ cup) mild-flavoured extra-virgin olive oil

20 gm peeled ginger, cut into julienne

4 small garlic cloves, very finely chopped

2-4 red birdseye chillies, or to taste, seeds removed (optional), finely chopped 400 gm cooked spanner crab meat, drained

1 Process flour and 200ml water in a food processor until a dough forms. If necessary add a couple of teaspoons extra water to bring it together. Knead on a lightly floured surface to a smooth ball (2-3 minutes), then wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest for 30-40 minutes. Roll pieces of dough about the size of a large pea to a thin rope, dusting with flour to prevent sticking, then twirl around a small craft rod or chopstick (a knitting needle is traditional) to form a corkscrew shape. Slide off and set aside on a lightly floured tray to dry (at least 3 hours or overnight).

2 To make pangrattato, preheat oven to 200°C. Toss breadcrumbs, oil, garlic and parsley in a bowl and season. Spread on an oven tray and bake until golden brown and crisp (10-15 minutes).

3 For crab and ginger sauce, heat oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and chilli and sauté until fragrant and softened (5-6 minutes). Stir in crab and warm through, then season to taste.

4 Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (2-4 minutes).

Drain well, reserving 60ml pasta water, then add busiate to crab sauce with extra parsley and toss gently to combine, adding a little pasta water if needed to coat well. Serve scattered with pangrattato.

Wine suggestion Crisp, fragrant traminer.