Calamari Fra Diavolo

This is our version of the Calamari Fra Diavolo, a classic Southern Italian dish of slow cooked squid rings smothered with a pleasantly spicy tomato sauce. We’ve added a tang of sour salty preserved lemons to brighten up the sauce and delight your palate. This simple preparation will fire up your fall dinners, a way to travel back to faraway places and feel as if you were seated at a seaside restaurant in Italy.

Ingredients

Serves 2

4-5 large squids
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1 tsp preserved lemons, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can of tomato sauce (can be substitute with 1 tbsp tomato paste + 1/2 cup hot water)
1 tbsp agave syrup (or any of your favorite sweetener)
Fresh oregano or thyme
Olive oil for cooking
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Clean the squids: Remove the head from the squid body by gently twisting and pulling the head apart from the squid tail. Make sure to remove any residual innards that didn’t slip out of the body. Then, place a knife just underneath the eyes of the squid and cut straight down to remove the tentacles. Then, remove the beak from the tentacles. Set the tentacles aside. Remove the thin, transparent cartilage from the squid tail by grasping it and gently pulling. Now something that is optional but we all do for an appealing presentation is to remove the dark, spotting skin of the squid. Grasp the thin layer of skin from the top of the tail and peel it away until the end of the tail. Last step is to thoroughly wash the inside of the squid body tube. It is now ready to be cut into 1/2 inch rings.

2. In a medium size fry pan over high-medium heat, warm 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the squids and stir fry for 5 minutes (make sure to remove the squid water if in excess, we want that water to evaporate before proceeding).

3. Add garlic, shallot, preserved lemons and red pepper flakes and let it cook for 3 minutes.

4. Pour the white wine. Once half evaporated, add the halved cherry tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the agave syrup and fresh oregano. Stir well.

5. Season with salt and pepper, then let it simmer for 15 minutes covered, then 5 more minutes without lid the time for the sauce to thicken.

Serve this over a bed of pasta or rice, along with bread to help mop up the sauce.