Pasta with Calamari and Sundried Tomatoes – Calamari Recipe
I had no idea what I wanted to cook the other night but I knew I needed to figure something out pretty quickly. This time of year I really start to long for the tastes of summer since I really don’t get those fresh bites that I get when the garden is producing. I found I had some frozen calamari and that determined the course of the meal. I was all set to come up with a calamari recipe on the fly because my little cook’s brain was sparked.
It was one of those nights when I was really craving pasta so I knew that would be the base of the meal but this would work just as well with rice. I went to dried tomatoes to get that taste of summer that I wanted so badly. They carry such a punch of flavor and truly brighten a dish. I’m so glad that I dehydrate tomatoes when I have them.
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Pasta with Calamari and Sundried Tomatoes
Serves 2
1/2 lb dried pasta like penne
1/2 lb calamari mix of tubes and tentacles
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried tomatoes, crushed
salt and pepper
dried basil
Cut the calamari tubes into rings.
Mix 1 TBS of the olive oil with the white wine and garlic cloves. Add a generous sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper. Mix well.
Add the calamari rings and tentacles to the wine mixture and let marinate while you cook the pasta.
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot. Drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and sprinkle the dried tomatoes over top. Stir to mix. Cover and let sit while you cook the calamari.
Heat a saute pan over med-high heat.
When the pan is hot add the calamari, marinade and all.
Cook, stirring gently until the calamari is just cooked.
Add the calamari and marinade to the cooked pasta and stir to mix. Put the lid back on and let sit for 5 minutes.
Adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with dried basil and serve.
How Was the Calamari with Dried Tomatoes?
This was so easy to make and it was de-licious! The marinade was just enough to coat the pasta and it was a tasty base to highlight the dried tomatoes. Letting them sit and steam with the cooked pasta softened them beautifully.
Dried tomatoes have such a strong taste of summer I love having them in my pantry. I’ll toss them into salads and I’ve added them to my bagel dough and biscuit mix for a pop of flavor.
We both enjoyed this dish so much I made it again a couple of nights later with the other half pound of calamari. I think that says it all about this meal. I was going to try a new calamari recipe but the memory of this meal just called to me.
