RISOTTO WITH CALAMARI and PEAS (Risotto con calamari e piselli)

    The preparation of this dish is extremely simple and requires little time. In fact, a few simple steps will be enough to bring to the table a fish-based risotto suitable both for important occasions or everyday dinner.

To obtain a risotto with a more intense and pleasant flavor, it is preferable to use fresh squid, but if you cannot find them at your supermarket or want to save time cleaning the squid, frozen squid is also good, if of good quality and defrosted in the right way.

If you decide to use fresh squid, clean the internal parts and wash them and then cut them into small pieces. Leave some tentacles whole for presentation.

Ingredients

1 cup of Carnaroli rice or Arborio rice

2 lbs. calamari

10 oz. package of frozen peas

1 clove of garlic

1/2 yellow onion

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tbs. red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Wash the rice and boil it.  Once cooked, drain and set aside.

Place 1/4 cup of olive oil in a pan.  Add the chopped onion.  Once golden, add peas, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Saute' for few minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

In another pan, add the rest of the olive oil and chopped garlic.  Once the garlic is golden, add the squid and saute' for few minutes.  Add the white wine.  Cook until tender.

Once the calamari are cooked, add them to the peas.

Place some of the rice on a serving dish and add the calamari and peas over it.  Top it with some tentacles to make a beautiful presentation.

Enjoy!

INSALATA DI CALAMARI (Squid Salad)

Squid salad is one of the summer recipes I love the most, fresh, light and colorful.

It's an appetizer that often accompanies our dinners. Also. great appetizer for Christmas Eve's dinner.

 Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh calamari

1/4 cup olive oil

Small can of olives

Sprigs of parsley

1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic (one whole and one minced)

Small red onion (sliced)

Salt and black pepper 

Few pieces of fennel leaves (if available) to flavor the salad

Procedure:

Clean the squid starting to peel the bags. Remove the part with the eyes, remove the entrails, the gladius and rinse under running water. Cut the body into rings.

Prepare a small pot of water. Add a slice of lemon and whole clove of garlic. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the cleaned squid and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the squid and let them cool off.

Place the cooled squid on a platter. Add some squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped parsley, red onion, olive oil, olives, salt and pepper.

If available, add fennel leaves to add flavor.

PAN GRILLED CALAMARI with MARINATED ARTICHOKES

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds cleaned squid (calamari)
1 cup marinated artichokes
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The secret to this dish is to use a cast iron pan with ridges.

Directions:

1. Rinse the calamari thoroughly inside and out.  Drain well.  Cut the bodies into 1/2 inch rings.  Pat dry.
2. Drizzle the calamari with olive oil.
3. Heat the cast iron pan with medium-high heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the calamari and grill them by moving and pressing them around the pan with a fork so as to allow grill marks to form for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the minced garlic.  After a minute, add the marinated artichokes.  Season with fresh black pepper and warm them up for 2 minutes in low heat.
5. Transfer the artichokes into a plate.  Add the grilled calamari and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
   
   

Christmas Eve Traditional Dinner at Our Home

According to family tradition, on Christmas Eve, our dinner includes “lean” dishes. In fact, the main ingredients are fish and vegetables, foods rich in vitamins and minerals, in addition to being lightweight and good for you. The only exception are those fried desserts (scrippelle, caggionetti) , that absolutely one cannot do without.

Here is the menu we enjoy with family at home, awaiting the midnight arrival of Christmas.
Buon Appetito!

Pasta with Clams - (Linguini con vongole)

Fried Fish -(Pesce fritto)

Stuffed Squid (Calamari ripieni)

Broccoli di Rape

Stuffed Baby Artichokes - (Carciofi ripieni ) (See below for recipe)

Stuffed Baby Artichokes
All photo Copyright - ©2010 - La Casa e Il Giardino

I love baby artichokes because with just a little trimming you can eat the whole thing. Unlike fully mature artichokes, baby artichokes haven’t developed the fuzzy portion of the choke in the center. Baby artichokes are a seasonal size and availability does vary throughout the year, but the month of May is the peak volume month for this size artichoke.

Ingredients

9 or 10 baby artichokes
1/2 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons for sauteing artichokes
2 cups of water
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
Sprig of parsley
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon red pepper conserve or tomato paste

Stuffing
2 cups day-old bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by rinsing and brushing off the baby artichokes under cold water.



Then, snap off the outer layer of petals of the baby artichoke until you reach the pale, yellow-green layer of petals. With a sharp kitchen knife, trim off the stem and remove the rest of the dark green stem that can cause a bitter taste if not removed.  Cut about one half inch off the top of the baby artichoke.  Place artichokes in water with some lemon juice to prevent them from darkening.

Prepare stuffing by combining all ingredients and mix well. 
Drain artichokes and stuff them.



Take a small skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Briefly saute' artichokes face down until the stuffing gets golden, and remove.

In a large pot, add 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, salt, black pepper, teaspoon of hot pepper flakes (optional), and 1 tablespoon of pepper conserve (alternate tomato paste).  Bring ingredients to a boil, add the stuffed artichokes, cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Taste for tenderness of outer leaves. 

Stuffed artichokes

Traditional Christmas desserts

Caggionetti

Calamari Ripieni - Stuffed Squid

Here is an original dish, and one of my favorites, full of flavors of the sea: Stuffed Calamari.

Fresh Squid - Calamari Freschi

These mollusks, also known as calamari (ink holders in Italian), because when chased they emit a black liquid that muddles the water allowing them to avoid the opponent. They are ideal because they are tender, flavorful and provide a great amount of protein but are low in calories.

Ingredients for 4 people

1 1/2 lb. fresh medium sized calamari

2 cups day-old bread

2 eggs

2 tbs. minced parsley for stuffing

1 tb. minced parsley before serving

2 tbs. of pecorino cheese or parmigiano

2 cup of finely chopped tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic finely minced for stuffing

2 cloves of garlic chopped

3/4 cup of white wine

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Clean squid and leave them whole.  Cut the tentacles into small pieces and saute' them in a pan with some of the oil for 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  Immerse the day-old artisan bread in water and remove quickly.  Squeeze excess water and shred into small pieces.  In a deep dish add the bread, the cooked tentacles, chopped parsley, pecorino cheese, eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.  Stuff the squid with stuffing mixture 3/4 to the top of the squid (too much will cause them to explode) and secure each squid's end with a toothpick.  In a hot pan, add the remaining oil and two cloves of garlic and brown over medium heat along with the stuffed squid, carefully turning from time to time (10 minutes).  Add the white wine, the tomato pulp, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 10 minutes covering the pan with a lid.  Just before the end of cooking, sprinkle the stuffed squid with minced parsley.  Serve the squid sliced.  Great with a side dish of fresh peas.

Calamari Ripieni