Crab, mussel & cuttlefish stozzapreti with tomato & lemon verbena
Serves: 4-6

To make the crab stock – roast the crabs until deep red and brown in colour. Place a small stock pot over a medium heat. Add the crabs, along with the rest of the ingredients, and season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the roasting pan with some white wine and add to the stock. Cook for 1 hour, or until the stock has reduced by a quarter (it should be caramel brown and thick in crab flavour). Strain and set aside.

For the strozzapreti dough – place all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and knead to a neat dough (it should be smooth and a little soft). Cover with cling film and rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile – steam the mussels with a splash of white wine in a hot pan with a tight-fitting lid. After 2-3 minutes, the mussels should be open and cooked. Set aside to cool, then remove the meat from the shells.

To roll the pasta – cut the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces and roll each into a 1cm-thick log. Cut each log into small pieces 2-3cm long. Take each piece of dough and roll it in the palms of your hands until tapered at the ends but thicker in the centre.

To finish – place a saucepan over a medium heat and add 250ml of crab stock. Reduce it by half, then add the strozzapreti. Toss for 3-4 minutes, until firm but not raw. Add the crab meat and cook for 15-20 seconds, or until just cooked. Add the mussels, tomatoes, cuttlefish, chopped parsley and extra virgin olive oil, then season to taste. Place the pasta, seafood and stock into each bowl and garnish with lemon verbena.