Calamari with tomato
Sauté half a yellow onion in approximately 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add one large clove of garlic, minced. Peel a medium carrot, slice it into rounds, and add it to the sauté. Wash squid; cut tentacles into rings. Add squid to pan; cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Add ¼ cup dry wine (whatever you’re drinking that night), parsley (1 Tbsp.) and oregano (1 tsp.) to pan; simmer uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Add a large tomato, diced. Cover and continue to simmer for ~15 minutes, until the squid is tender. Remove lid and simmer for ~5 minutes to reduce liquid. Serve over pasta or polenta, or serve on its own with crispy bread.
Polenta
Combine 2 C. low-sodium chicken broth with 2 C. water in a 3 ½ – 4 quart pot. Bring liquid to a boil. Slowly stir in 1 C. polenta. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir frequently until desired consistency is achieved. I often reserve about 1/3 of the polenta after ~20 minutes for a creamy polenta and then continue to cook the remaining polenta for another ~10-15 minutes.
The polenta shown in the photo was cooked for ~30 minutes (with parsley, oregano, and thyme added after 15 minutes), poured into a Pyrex dish and refrigerated overnight. I then cut it into triangles and gently crisped the edges of the polenta in a hot skillet with a smidgen of melted butter.
Notes on the ingredients
- I’m able to purchase a package of frozen squid at one of my area grocery stores. The store alternates between brands, but the package always includes a mix of baby squid and larger tentacles. I defrost the package under cold running water right before I use it. General guidelines on cooking squid seem to advocate for short and sweet cooking times (~2 minutes) or longer braises (see the Food Network’s article, for instance). The key in this recipe, adapted from a recipe on one of the brands’ packaging, is to braise the squid until it’s tender (again).
- I found wonderful polenta at The Old Mill of Guildford. Since the mill does not use preservatives, I keep the polenta in the freezer and pull it out about 15 minutes before I’m ready to measure it for use in recipes.