Calamari

[madmax]

This topic was posted in the lounge and now I've got a craving for Calamari. I know we have some great chefs who post here. How about an easy and delicious Calamari recipe. I've never made it myself but, years ago would go to 'Little Italy' in NYC to a place called Vincent's on Mott Street. OHHHHH Yummmmmmmmmmmy yummmmy.

<cough cough> hear that, husb2sparkly :bounce:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3821787

[wryter2000]

1. I've sauteed it

I can't for the life of me remember what all I put in it now. Probably melted some butter and gently cooked some garlic and an herb or two then add the squid and cook only until done. Maybe toss in a bit of white wine.

I've also just added it to tomato sauce to put over spaghetti.

I've also sauteed it and whirred it in the food processor, add cream sauce and grated parmesan and use it to stuff large pasta shells. Put more cream sauce on top and bake. That's a lot more work, of course, but it's sure good.

[madmax]

2. They all sound so good!!

I've never made squid so I'm a little squeemish, lol. I have no problem whatsover eating tho. :evilgrin:

[wryter2000]

3. They're icky to clean

But you get over it. Just get the offal out of your kitchen or it'll start to stink pretty quick.

The most important thing with squid is to cook it for just a few seconds. I'm not exaggerating. If you cook it too long, it gets really tough.

[Lugnut]

4. I make calimari

I can't stand it but my husband loves it. I make a small pot of sauce and keep it hot while I quickly saute the calimari. When it turns from translucent to opaque I put it in the sauce, turn the sauce off and serve it within about 5 minutes. My husband likes it served over linguine.

[NMDemDist2]

5. pound it really really thin

then coat it in a combo of


bread crumbs,
dried parmesan cheese,
italian seasoning
parsely flakes
garlic powder
black pepper


flash saute for a minute or so each side

YUM!!!

[madmax]

6. pound it but, leave it

in the ring shape, right. duh

Greta gourmet, I'm not.

[NMDemDist2]

8. i'm no talking the tentacles, I mean the calamari "steak" when you

pound them out they end up about the size of a dinner plate YUMMMM

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Calamari is far more versatile than most people imagine

Here's a way to get your toes wet (so to speak) with cooking it.

It is a tomato sauce recipe with calamari added and then served over macaroni.

Sweat some garlic in olive oil. Add canned whole tomatoes, crushed into rough chunks (as always, I suggest you use San Marzanos if you can get them). Use the whole can .... tomatoes and all the liquid. Add some chopped parsley, basil and oregano. Fresh is best. Quantity to taste.

Start your macaroni water. Let the tomato sauce simmer.

Add the macaroni. Spaghettini or vermicelli are good choices.

When the macaroni has two minutes or so left, add the calamari to the sauce and turn the heat up so it is under a hard boil .... but more than simmering.

Drain the macaroni and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with more fresh herbs.

Mange!

Now ..... we usually cut the calamari into rings. I also pull the tentacles from the body and remove the beak .... and then add the tentacles, too. But this will work just fine with only the rings. I often see calamari rings for sale, frozen. That would do just fine. Or you can find cleaned calamari. Just cut it as you wish. (If you use the tentacles, be sure to get that beak out .... it isn't pleasant to crunch down on.)

There are many sites online that talk about how to clean calamari. Just google it. It isn't rocket science, to be sure.

Now ... alternatives ....... stuffed .... fried .... sauteed ...... cold salad ..... ceviche style .... and on and on. Look to Mediterranean web sites for many recipes.

In some cultures it is called cuttle fish or squid. Technically, they're all different species, but so similar, no one can really tell (or even care about) the difference unless their anal. (I tend to be anal.)

[madmax]

9. I knew you'd chime in eventually, lovey

ok... guess I'll get my feet wet with the frozen and already cleaned squid. I really like it when I've had it in restaurants and would hate to muck it up and ruin everything.

Thanks to everyone. You folks are such good people. :grouphug:

[Stinky The Clown]

10. I just re-read my post. I forgot the salt and pepper

Add the pepper whenever yur heart desires. Add the salt at the end of the calamari cooking. The calamari itself could be salty, so you need to gauge the salt after that gets cooked in.

All the salt really needs to do is get mixed, so you culd add it as a alte in the process as the second before you pour the sauce over the macaroni. All ya need to do is be sure to give the added salt a nice mixing before the sauce pour.

On edit ..... I responded so slowly cuz I was busy with work the last week or three and had a minor flame war in one of threads over in GDPol.

Works up an appetitte, yanno! :)

[wryter2000]

11. I don't fry it much

Too much work and mess. But, when I do, the tentacles are my favorite part. They hold the coating and so are extra crispy.