Squid Sauce
Robin has fond memories of eating calamari in tomato sauce over spaghetti. At the time, she thought it was spelled "galamad" (because that's how it's pronounced in Brooklyn), and had no idea it was squid. The preparation for this meal is made easier by using already cut-up, cleaned, and frozen calamari rings. We simmer the sauce for a quite some time until the squid are tender, but otherwise, it is a rather easy dish. We serve it over angel hair pasta at our daughter's request, but spaghetti would be more traditional. Originally served as part of: Calamari Sauce.
- Tomato Sauce (August 12, 2002)
- Farfalle with Spicy Sausage Sauce (January 17, 2003)
- Penne with Vodka Sauce (February 13, 2003)
- Sausage Cream Sauce (February 16, 2003)
- Cavatelli with Mushroom Tomato Sauce (April 7, 2003)
- Quick Tomato Sauce (April 26, 2004)
- Thick Tomato Sauce (February 14, 2006)
Ingredients
- ½ pound frozen calamari rings squid
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 28 ounce can whole peeled, organic tomatoes (Muir Glen)
- 1 4-inch stem fresh, italian leaf parsley (leaves removed)
- salt & pepper
- red pepper flakes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh, italian leaf parsley (cleaned and chopped)
- ⅓ pound dried capellini pasta
Instructions
We start the meal by defrosting the frozen calamari rings in a colander in the sink under cold running water. Meanwhile, we add the oil to a medium pot and, using our garlic press, we crush the two cloves of garlic - one at a time - into the oil. We heat over medium-low heat while we get our tomatoes ready. We pour off some of the tomato liquid into a glass and reserve. Using our immersion blender, we purée the tomatoes right in the can for about a minute. When the garlic is fragrant, we add the tomato liquid from the glass and the puréed tomatoes from the can to the pot. We stir the sauce and add the fresh parsley stem, a pinch of salt, some red pepper flakes, the bay leaf, the dried basil, and oregano. We bring the sauce up to a simmer and partially cover.
After a few additional minutes, the squid rings are defrosted. We add them to the simmering sauce, re-cover partially, and cook for about 40 minutes. We stir the sauce occasionally and begin tasting for squid tenderness after about 25 minutes. Squid is either cooked very briefly or for quite a while to be deliciously tender.
After about 15 minutes of cooking the squid sauce, we start heating a second pot with enough water for the pasta.
When the squid is tender, we add the dried pasta and a pinch of salt to the pasta water and cook until al dente (tonight it just takes 3 minutes). We drain the cooked pasta in a clean colander and then put it back in the pot we just cooked it in.
We add freshly ground black pepper after tasting the squid sauce for seasoning. We add some of the sauce and the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss with tongs. We serve with additional sauce (discarding the bay leaf), more dried oregano and red pepper flakes.
Ingredients
- ½ lb frozen calamari rings
- ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes (Muir Glen)
- 1 4-inch parsley stem
- salt
- red pepper flakes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ⅓ lb capellini (or spaghetti, more traditional)
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Thaw the calamari in a colander under cold running water.
Meanwhile, press the garlic into the oil in a medium pot and warm it over medium-low heat.
Kid job
Pour some of the tomato juice into a glass, then purée the tomatoes right in the can with an immersion blender, about 1 minute. (Our son insisted on doing this part.)
When the garlic is fragrant, add the juice and puréed tomatoes, the parsley stem, a pinch of salt, pepper flakes, the bay leaf, basil and oregano. Bring to a simmer and partly cover.
Grown-up
Add the thawed squid, partly cover, and simmer about 40 minutes, stirring now and then. Start tasting at 25 minutes: squid is tender only if cooked very briefly or for a long time.
After 15 minutes of simmering, put a pot of water on. When the squid is tender, salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente (only about 3 minutes for capellini). Drain and return it to its pot.
Taste the sauce and add pepper. Toss the pasta with some sauce and the parsley, and serve with more sauce (bay leaf removed), oregano and pepper flakes.