What's Cooking Challenge - Fettuccini with Calamari Sauce

Fettuccini with Calamari Sauce

With pasta.jpg

What is it about the word “squid” that conjures up visions of a Jules Verne sea monster? I have to admit though, if you have ever handled a live one fresh from the ocean then you know what a nasty little creature they are. Their bodies are soft and slimy but they have a hard beak just like a parrot. When you try to hold them they’ll fight you. They hiss, spit and spray ink at you. They try to wrap their tentacles around your arm and clamp on with the tiny suction cups mount on them so that they can take a bite of you with their parrot-like beak.

So is that why here in the US we call them by their Italian/Spanish name “Calamari”? That’s the name we see on the menu in restaurants and even at the grocery store. Who’s fooling who? Squid is squid. Once you get past the idea of it being a denizen of the deep and give a try you’ll realize what a delicious treat it is!

I’ve been craving squid ever since reading @watersnake101’s post in #whatscookingchallange a couple of weeks ago. A few days ago, my wife was having dinner with our granddaughter, so that was my opportunity to cook up a batch for myself. I made enough to be able to enjoy it a couple of days. One night, I served it as a sauce over fettuccini and the other by itself as a stew.

I get my squid cleaned and ready to go at the grocery. There's no need for the extra work! You can buy just the bodies, or just the tentacles or a mixture of both. I like both so that's what I got.

I cut the bodies into 1/2 inch rings and left the tentacles as is.

Cut up.jpg

For the sauce I diced a medium onion, grated 3 garlic cloves and chopped a bunch of Italian parsley.

In a 2 quart sauce pan, I sauted the onion in a little olive oil until transparent then added the garlic and cooked for another minute. Careful not to burn the garlic.

Then added a tablespoon of tomato paste.

Tomato paste.jpg

Cooked that for another minute and added a cup of dry red wine. Stir that a bit while scraping the bottom of the pan.

Add the can of tomatoes and the parsley. Break up the chunks of tomato. I used kitchen shears.

Add the squid and bring to a boil. Add some sea salt, Italian herbs and crushed red pepper. reduce heat and simmer for about and hour or until the squid is tender.

The secret to cooking tender squid is to either cook it quickly just a minute or two or cook it a for long time about an hour. Anything in between, you'll get rubber.

For this recipe I cooked it for an hour.

Meanwhile cook up some fettuccini or your favorite pasta according to the package directions. Top it with a generous heaping of sauce.

Plate It Up

With pasta.jpg

Or if you prefer not to have it with the pasta. Serve it up as a stew or chowder topped with some shredded cheese and a couple of dollops of mascarpone and a side of crusty bread.

This is my entry for #whatscookingchallenge by @jaynie.

Here’s the challenge:

NB: The #whatscookingchallenge is an ONGOING challenge, so you can enter WHENEVER you want and as OFTEN as you want!
1: Use the #whatscookingchallenge tag and tag me @jaynie in your post.
2: Create and publish a post showcasing something that
you have prepared in your kitchen which is either
a) uniquely yours, or b) has been adapted and made your own.
(The more elaborate the post the better, naturally...)
PS. This is NOT limited to "plates of food" - it can be preserves, snacks, anything!
3: Accompany the post with at least 2 photos of whatever it is that you have prepared.
(and in the spirit of avoiding plagiarism, a photo of YOU WITH your dish would be a plus, but is not a requirement)
4: Tag at least 5 (but not limited to) of your foodie friends
that you think would like to participate...