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Cooking with calamari

Call it what you will, it's tasty and versatile
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November 21st, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Squid and other treats from the sea are critical to this classic dish from Spain.
Squid, also known as calamari, is a common ingredient in cooking from Japan to the Mediterranean.
Like the cuttlefish, squid holds an ink sac containing a dark and distinctly flavored liquid. Spanish recipes often call for squid to be cooked in a sauce created from its own ink — or en su tinta. In Japan and Italy, you can find it battered and deep-fried, either as tempura or in the calamari appetizer form familiar to Americans.
But there are many other ways to serve squid: stir-fried, raw, in salads, stuffed with vegetables, cooked in a sauce and so on. It’s an important element in this particular paella dish.
Technically, squid are part of the cephalopod family. To most people, the various species have a similar appearance, thanks largely to their tentacles. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to learn much about the different types, at least as far as cooking is concerned.
One must, however, keep in mind two simple things when a recipe calls for calamari. First, as squid ages, the skin toughens, so older ones require longer cooking times. Second, and more important, overcooking will turn even the most delicate squid into rubber bands.
Getting it right is just a matter of practice.
Jan Kasal is chef at La Bodega, located at Hybernská 32, Prague 1–New Town. Tel. 222 240 991

PAELLA MIXTA

(Serves two)
Ingredients:
1 large onion
2 deciliters olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
150 grams calamari
250 grams rice
0.5 kilogram chicken wings
10 mussels, in shell
10 shrimp, unshelled
8 clams, in shell
150 grams peas
150 grams bean pods
Fish broth as needed
Tomato sauce
Salt
Lemon
Preparation:
Sauté finely chopped onion and garlic with sliced bell pepper in olive oil.
Clean wings and calamari and add to pan, continuing to sauté until the wings begin to brown.
Add rice and stir until thoroughly coated to ensure it does not stick to pan.
Add tomato sauce.
Pour in broth to cover and sprinkle salt to taste.
Add peas, bean pods and shellfish.
Cook over medium heat for 35–40 minutes (note: do not stir, just shake the pan occasionally).
Serve with halved lemon.


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