Christmas Eve Calamari

It's a beautiful day in Austin and my spirits are high. Nic, Poin, Frank, and I began our day with a visit to La Boite for an amazing Pan au Chocolat and iced coffee. The pastry was probably the best I've tasted in a long time. Flaky, warm, with the perfect amount of chocolate. If you are in South Austin, you MUST visit this new addition to Austin's food trailer industry. South Lamar and Mary - do it.


As we were driving north to my place, I opened up Nic's "The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy" cookbook. Offhandedly I mentioned to Poin that I really wanted to make the Calamari stew recipe. With three hours until our flight to Napa, we decided that lunch was in order, so why not? A quick adventure to Central Market yielded the necessary ingredients and we were off. I have to credit Nic & Poin with all the preparation of this meal. I pretty much just sat back and enjoyed :D

Calamari in Umido per la vigilia di Natal or "Christmas Eve Calamari"

Ingredients

2 lb cleaned calamari - tubes and tentacles (you can use frozen calamari according to the chef)
Olive Oil
1 white onion - thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Big pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup dry white wine (or more? who knows)
1 can stewed tomatoes (we used Cento Italian style), chopped
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Slices bread for serving

Preparation

Chop up all your veggies and using kitchen sheers, cut the calamari tubes into 1/2 inch-wide rings and the tentacles into bite size pieces.

In a large saute pan (that has a lid), head up the olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onions until softened and translucent. Using a mortar and pestle, smash up the garlic with the salt into a paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a garlic press.

Add the garlic paste, red pepper and oregano to the cooked onions. Stir in the Calamari and saute for 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Let the mixture bubble for a few minutes and then add the tomatoes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially, and let the stew cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, uncover and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Stir in vinegar, raise the heat to high and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust with salt. Remove from heat and finish with the parsley.

Serve with crusty bread, toasted in the oven and brushed with olive oil.

Makes 4 servings