Lidias Steamed Calamari Recipes

LIDIA BASTIANICH'S CALAMARI ALLA MANFREDI

Steps:

• Clean the calamari one at time, by pulling the tentacles slowly until all the innards come out of the body. Cut off the tentacles below the eyes and discard the rest of the head and the innards; pop out and discard the small hard beak where the tentacles join. Cut off the pointy tip of each calamari body and peel off the skin; discard both. Rinse the trimmed tentacles and the body, holding it open under running water to flush the cavity. Slice the cleaned body crosswise, in rings 1/3-inch thick. Drain all the cleaned calamari tentacles and rings in the cooking colander.
• Meanwhile, pour enough water into the deep pot so that when you set the colander in position it doesn't touch the water.
• Shave off the lemon peel (zest layer only) with a vegetable peeler, in short strips. Drop these into the water with the bay leaves, cover the pot, and simmer the water for about 1/2 hour to infuse it with the aromas of lemon and bay.
• Keep the water simmering and set the colander with all the squid in it inside the pot. Put on the cover and steam the calamari gently. After 2 minutes, lift the cover, tumble the calamari over a couple of times in the colander, and sprinkle over a couple pinches of salt. Cover and steam another 2 minutes, tumble, and salt again. Repeat after 2 more minutes - you should have used 1/4 teaspoon salt in all. Steam for a total of 8 to 10 minutes.
• When the calamari is tender but slightly resilient to the bite, remove the colander from the pot, season the pieces with another 1/4 teaspoon salt, and tumble them over. Let the calamari drain and cool for 5 minutes.
• Turn the calamari into a bowl while still quite warm. Toss with the olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle over the remaining salt, pepperoncino, grated orange zest, and parsley, and toss well again. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FRIED CALAMARI

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
• Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

STUFFED SQUID SICILIAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Blanch the chard in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and cool under running water. Squeeze chard completely dry and finely chop. Set aside.
• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Add fennel fronds, fennel seed, anchovy, garlic, oregano and red pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes more.
• Turn off heat and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Add pine nuts, lemon zest, bread crumbs, cheese and reserved cooked chard. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Taste and correct seasoning.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a teaspoon, put some filling in each squid body, taking care not to overstuff. Place stuffed squid in an earthenware baking dish in one layer. Season squid on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season tentacles with salt and pepper and arrange them around the edge of dish (alternatively, arrange tentacles in a separate baking dish). Drizzle tentacles lightly with oil. Spoon any remaining stuffing over tentacles.
• Roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until squid bodies are puffed, sizzling and lightly browned. If desired, run pan under the broiler for more color. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. (May also be served at room temperature.) Serve each person 3 or 4 squid, with tentacles.

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS STUFFED CALAMARI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse the calamari tubes and pat dry.
• In a large bowl, stir together the onions, 6 cloves garlic, shrimp, crabmeat and lemon juice. Spoon some of this mixture into each squid tube and seal the ends by 'sewing' with a toothpick. Arrange in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese and 2 cloves garlic. Cook and stir until cream cheese has melted. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook until heated through and then remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Pour over all of the calamari tubes in the baking dish. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of Romano cheese on top of each one.
• Bake uncovered until the cheese is browned and sauce is bubbly. While the calamari is baking, Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain. Serve the stuffed calamari and sauce over a bed of linguine.

LIDIA'S STEAMED CALAMARI

Steps:

• Rinse the trimmed tentacles and the body, holding it open under running water to flush the cavity. Slice the cleaned body crosswise, in rings 1/3 inch thick. Drain all the tentacles and rings in the steamer basket colander.
• Meanwhile, pour enough water into a steamer or deep pot so that when you set the basket in position it doesn't touch the water.
• Shave off the lemon peel (zest layer only) with a vegetable peeler, in short strips. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and reserve. Drop the zest into the water with the bay leaves, cover the pot, and simmer the water for about 1/2 an hour, to infuse it with the aromas of lemon and bay.
• Keep the water simmering, and set the steamer basket with all the calamari in it inside the pot. Put on the cover, making sure it fits snugly inside, and steam the calamari gently. After 2 minutes, lift the cover, tumble the calamari over a couple of times in the colander, and sprinkle over it a couple of pinches of salt. Cover and steam another 2 minutes, tumble, and salt again. Repeat after 2 more minutes-you should have used 1/4 teaspoon salt in all. Steam for a total of 8 to 10 minutes.
• When the calamari is tender but slightly resilient to the bite, remove the colander, season the pieces with another 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well, then let them drain and cool for 5 minutes.
• Turn the calamari into a bowl while still quite warm. Toss with the olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle over the remaining salt, the peperoncino, grated orange zest, and parsley, and toss well again. Taste, and adjust the seasonings.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

WARM CALAMARI SALAD WITH TOMATO AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 15 seconds. Add the squid and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the skillet in the oven just until the squid curls into cylinders, about 2 to 4 minutes.
• Immediately remove the squid from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Place over medium heat, add the lemon juice and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Return the squid to the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the tomato, parsley and arugula. Place on a platter, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and serve immediately.