Spicy Calamari With Fregola Recipes

Steps:

• Spread the calamari on a baking sheet and pat dry as best you can with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide skillet over high heat. Add calamari and quickly stir-fry, cooking for only 1 minute, until puffed. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside.
• Return pan to stove, reduce heat to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add crushed red pepper, anchovy and garlic and let sizzle, then add onions and stir well.
• Season onions generously and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened and faintly colored. Add saffron and wine and simmer for 1 minute, then add tomato and broth. Adjust heat so sauce simmers gently for about 10 minutes, until flavors are well mingled. Taste for salt and hot pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil. Add fregola and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
• Add par-cooked calamari to the sauce over high heat. Add basil leaves and stir well until everything is heated through and calamari are completely cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and fold in cooked fregola. Sprinkle with oregano, add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve.

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add the cherry tomatoes; toss to combine and coat with the oil. Add the chicken stock and cook until tomatoes burst, about 10 minutes. Hold over medium-low heat.
• For the fregola: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fregola and cook according to package instructions. Drain and toss with the corn. Season with salt.
• For the stuffed calamari: Combine rock shrimp, breadcrumbs, parsley and some salt in a food processor. Pulse to a thick paste; add olive oil if needed. Transfer the shrimp paste to a medium pastry bag and pipe into the calamari until three-quarters full. Seal the calamari with skewers.
• Simmer the stuffed calamari in the tomato sauce for 5 minutes. Flip and simmer until cooked through, another 5 to 7 minutes.
• For the snapper: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the snapper with salt on both sides. Place the fish in the hot pan, skin-side up, for about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the reverse side for an additional minute or until cooked through. Remove the fish from the pan.
• To serve: Spoon the fregola and corn onto a plate, place a snapper fillet and some stuffed calamari on top. Top with tomato sauce.

Steps:

• For the noodles and dressing: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let stand for 4 minutes, and then drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, shake well, and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle the oil on top, toss well to coat, and set aside.
• Stir together the chili sauce, ginger, honey, sugar, grapefruit juice and lemon juice until well combined. Stir in the chiles and set aside.
• For the calamari: Stir together the five-spice powder, salt and white pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk together the potato starch and yolks in a medium bowl. If the batter is too thick to pour from a spoon, add water a few teaspoons at a time until thinned.
• Pour the oil into a wok and warm to 350 degrees F over high heat (a cube of bread will turn golden and float to the surface within 10 to 15 seconds when ready). Dip the calamari rings into the batter using a slotted spoon and stir until well coated. Shake off the excess batter and carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry, stirring frequently with a strainer, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the calamari to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle the spice mix over while hot.
• To serve, divide the noodles among 4 shallow bowls. Drizzle two-thirds of the dressing evenly over the noodles, top each with calamari, and then drizzle the remaining dressing on top. Mix together the Thai basil, cilantro and mint stems, divide into 4 bundles and garnish each bowl with 1 herb bundle and lime wedges, for squeezing at the table.

Steps:

• Rinse squid and dry on paper towels.
• Cut large tentacles in two and bodies into 1/2" rings.
• Cut bacon into 1" pieces and brown in a 12" skillet.
• Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
• Turn the heat to high, get bacon fat very hot.
• Toss calamari with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and add to skillet with the scallions and red pepper flakes.
• Saute till just done, about three minutes.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with bacon.

Steps:

• For the Calamari place the flour and Cajun spice mix in a large bowl and mix. Add the squid and turn until all the pieces are thoroughly coated. Shake off the excess mixture.
• In a large, heavy pot or deep-fryer over medium heat, heat the oil to 375°F or until almost smoking.
• Fry the squid for 2 to 3 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Serve immediately with lemon or lime wedges and Lemon Aioli.
• For the Lemon Aioli place the zest, juice, mustard, garlic, egg yolks, pepper, salt, and bread in a blender or food processor and puree to a smooth paste.
• With the machine running, drizzle in the oil. If the aioli appears too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time to adjust the consistency. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• For dipping sauce:
• Combine all ingredients except mayonnaise in processor. Blend well. Transfer to bowl. Stir in mayonnaise. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk before serving.)
• For calamari:
• Pour oil to depth of 3 inches in heavy large pot. Heat to 350°F. Whisk next 4 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Pour buttermilk into another large bowl. Add calamari to buttermilk. Working in batches, remove calamari; dredge in flour mixture. Fry until just crisp, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve warm with sauce.
• *Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets.
• **A blend of ground anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and ginger available in the spice section of most supermarkets.