Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve Dinner: The Starters








Calamari, Tomato and Caper Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
This salad was a big hit! We will definitely be making this again and again. We bought our squid or calamari at the Pike Place Market and I cleaned the squid myself.


Also, we used canned San Marzano tomatoes since fresh tomatoes are not good this time of year.

Delicious!

Ingredients
Salad:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound calamari, cleaned, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices
Dressing:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
For the salad: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Season the calamari with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Saute, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the mixture in a colander.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, capers, and lemon zest until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Transfer the calamari mixture to a serving bowl. Pour in the dressing and gently toss until all the ingredients are coated. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
One other little Yummer I served was these bite-sized latkes with my housemade gravlax, sour cream, chives and a little caviar.

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