Even with all the warm weather we’ve been having here in Los Angeles, the nights are still chilly. It’s that way almost all year round because of the cold Pacific. Tourists here year round are usually surprised when they pack for warm weather but still need a sweater or hoodie at night. Like almost everyone this time of year, one craves a nice warm soup or stew with some bread for dunking to take the chill off.
One of my favorites this time of year is stewed squid in tomato sauce with a pinch of red chile. This 45-minute meal is perfect for those nights that feel colder thanks to the earlier sunsets. I tend to forget about this recipe until I spot good squid at the local fish market-and then, with just a couple of ingredients, eccolo!
Squid, and all their many tentacled relatives, are eaten with serious gusto across Italy, especially anywhere near the sea. Fried, lightly floured and deep-fried, stewed, grilled, stuffed and grilled, or boiled and tossed into a cold salad-if it has tentacles, Italians have already figured out a dozen ways to make it delicious. Unsurprisingly, the heavily breaded, rubber-band-style calamari you often find on American menus is mostly absent.
I remember my first trip to a grocery store in the Marche region of Italy. The local Ipercoop felt less like a supermarket and more like an Italian Disneyland of food. Aisles of beautiful produce, pristine packaging, and foods I didn’t even recognize-it was both inspiring and mildly humiliating to think about grocery stores back home.
But the seafood counter-that’s where things got interesting. Seeing unfamiliar fish was one thing. Fish at least they look like fish. But the non-fish section felt like I had wandered into a land of alien sea creatures. Squid, cuttlefish, octopus-every possible variation of “has tentacles” was laid out in neat rows, glistening and vaguely judgmental. And they all seemed to be looking directly at me, as if to say, You have no idea what to do with us, do you?
My earliest memory of cooking squid was the one time my mother decided to make it. She bought uncleaned squid and went about the task of preparing it. Things went downhill fast as the white, globby insides came gushing out of the bodies. Then she came across the weird internal “bone,” which looked like a piece of leftover plastic. I can’t even remember what she was making-just that I watched her at the sink under the kitchen window, struggling to keep it together.
Now, honestly, cleaning squid isn’t that hard-but you don’t even have to worry about it, since cleaned squid is available at almost all supermarkets. Most squid is caught, cleaned, and frozen right on the boat, then defrosted in your local store. Still, I’d shop somewhere I trust and skip the cheapest brands.
There are only a few things to keep in mind when preparing squid: slicing the bodies crosswise if the recipe calls for it, and making sure the tentacles are free of the beak (feel the center of the tentacles—if you feel a hard spot, that’s the beak; use your fingers or a sharp knife to remove it). I like to slice the squid into rings, then place them and the tentacles in a colander. Set the colander in a larger bowl of water, agitate with your hand, and lift it straight up out of the water. Then squeeze dry with some paper towels. The squid will still be wet but won’t dilute the tomatoes as much.
Grab some squid, a can of tomatoes, and a hunk of good bread. You might just find yourself looking forward to those cool nights—and maybe even to the next time those tentacles are staring back at you from behind the glass.
Calamari in Umido: Stewed squid in tomatoes for a chilly winter night
Ingredients
- 2 lb cleaned squid, about half bodies and half tentacles
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small glass white wine
- Pinch red crushed chili pepper. amount to your liking
- 28 oz can good quality crushed or whole peeled tomatoes (I like the Mutti brand found in many grocery stores)
- Salt/pepper
- Finely chopped parsley for about 5 sprigs
Instructions
- Prepare the calamari by slicing the bodies crosswise into 1/2 inch think rings. Place the rings and tentacles in a colander and place the colander into a large bowl filled with cold water. Agitate and drain well. Place the squid between ample paper towel sheets and pat dry.
- In a large sauté pan, heat the oil olive over medium-low heat and add the chopped onion, a pinch of the salt and a pinch red chili flakes. Cover, stirring occasionally to let the onion soften. Add the garlic and tire until it begins to give off its characteristic aroma but be careful not to burn.
- Turn the heat to high and add the calamari to the hot oil. Saute for about 2 minutes until the calamari turns from translucent white to bright white. The rings and the tentacles will also curl up.
- Add the white wine and cook until the wine boils off a little.
- Return the heat to medium-low and add the plum tomatoes. Squeeze and break up the tomatoes with your fingers as your add them.
- Cook the calamari/tomato mixture for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper as desired. Taste the sauce (not the squid) for salt. This dish will need salt as calamari is not as salty as you might think.
- Before serving, toast slices of the bread. Serve the calamari in a bowl with the toasted and seasoned bread.