Fusilli Bucati with Soft-Shell Crabs, Hot Peppers and Escarole

Ingredients

• 6 soft-shell crabs
• 6 tbsp. virgin olive oil
• 1 md. red onion
• thinly sliced
• 6 Anaheim peppers
• cored
• seeded
• and julienned
• 4 red jalapenos
• cored
• seeded and julienned
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup Basic Tomato Sauce (see recipe elsewhere)
• 2 cups finely chopped escarole
• 1 lb. fusilli bucati pasta

Instructions

1. Bring 6 quarts water to boil in a large spaghetti pot and add 2 tbsp.
2. salt.
3. Clean soft-shell crabs by snipping off their faces with a pair of scissors and removing the skirt.
4. Cut in half and set aside.
5. In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan, heat olive oil until smoking, add onions, Anaheim, jalapenos and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Add the crab pieces and continue cooking until crabs are deep red and firm.
7. Be careful not to break up the crabs with aggressive stirring.
8. Add the white wine and the tomato sauce and reduce by half.
9. Add escarole and cook another 1 minute until escarole has wilted and remove from heat.
10. Drop fusilli into boiling water and cook according to package instructions until <I>al dente</I> (7 to 9 minutes).
11. Drain pasta well in colander and pour hot pasta in pan with crabs.
12. Return to medium heat and toss to coat well, approximately 1 minute.
13. Pour into heated serving platter and serve immediately.