When I was teenager, there was this very popular Italian (style) restaurant named Angelino’s. Almost everyone I knew loved eating there (and then have coffee and dessert at the sister cafe called DC Cafe). My brother’s favorite (and mine as well) was the Pasta Buranella – fettuccine noodles smothered in a creamy, cheesy white sauce stuffed with shrimps, fish, squid, mussels and clams.

It’s been decades since my teen years and Angelino’s has been long closed. But I still think of this pasta and reminisce.

So the next best thing is to recreate it as I remember it!!!

Honestly, I based my recipe on one of my mom’s for pasta with a “cream” sauce. What I liked about that recipe was that it did not begin with a roux, and that the sauce was thickened by cheese!

How I made my buranella –

Do ahead – Shred/grate 200g quick-melt cheese; set aside. Shell (peel) and clean 12 to 15 pieces of large shrimp; reserve the shells and head. Use the shells and shrimp head to make shrimp stock. Clean 400 grams of squid, sliced into serving pieces (or just thaw frozen squid). Clean and thaw 300 grams of scallops.

500g spaghetti or fettucini noodles, cooked as per package instructions.

To make the sauce – Quick fry the shrimp then remove from the pan. Quick fry the squid and remove from the pan. Quick fry the scallops and remove from the pan.

In the same pan, sauté 1 head (crushed) garlic in a butter and oil mix. Add 1 large (sliced) onions and stir fry until onions are soft and fragrant. Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of sliced button mushrooms (canned is ok). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add 200ml of heavy (or cooking) cream and 200ml of fresh, full cream milk. Add 100 to 150ml of the shrimp stock. Bring to a soft boil/gentle simmer. Add the cheese and let it melt in the sauce. Stir until thick. Season to taste (with salt and pepper). Add the shrimps, squids and scallops; turn off the heat when the sauce boils (be careful so the squid and scallops do not turn tough). Off-heat, grate fresh nutmeg over the sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Mix in the noodles and serve.

Then enjoy!