Double Take

Yeah, I know. Another tomato soup. I didn't mean it, I swear, but this one just called to me, especially since it has two of our favorite words in the title: Spicy and Calimari. E is a calimari fanatic. He'll order it anywhere, even though he is often disappointed. See, we're spoiled calimari snobs, and we like it lightly fried, crisp on the outside, served with lots of lemon, a drop of marinara, and loads of hot peppers on the side. They didn't serve it like that anywhere in Michigan, but E kept trying it anyway. We've eaten Buffalo Style Fried Calimari (blech!), Sticky Asian Style Fried Calimari (double blech!), and Cheese Stuffed Fried Calimari (you guessed it). Nothing beats the basics. So Giada's stew hit all the right notes for me: simple, quick, with the right amount of tomato and heat. The amazing thing is this dish calls for no lemon zest. I almost added it to be true to our favorite calimari flavors, but I resisted. I'm not Giada enough for that yet. And right now my nails are painted gray. She wouldn't approve, but I doubt she'd get this worked up. (Sorry G fans, but that was just necessary :) And she's growing on me slowly. At least she's not Sandra Lee.)

Spicy Calimari Stew with Parmesan Sourdough Croutons

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2

1 28 moz. can crushed tomatos

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds calamari (squid), bodies thinly sliced and tentacles whole

6 slices sourdough bread

parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt and pepper

garlic powder

Preparation:

For the Croutons:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bread into 1 inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a micrograter, grate parmesan cheese generously over hot croutons. Set aside. 

For the Calamari Stew: Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic. Add the tomatoes, stock, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the calamari and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture comes back up to a simmer, about 2 more minutes (Do NOT overcook the soup now! Nothing is worse than tough calimari!). Serve immediately with the croutons.

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