What is Calamari Anyway?

Fried Calamari is my favorite appetizer ever!  Some restaurants make it better than others; some add peppers or finish with a garlic aioli and some restaurants serve a perfect combination of rings and tentacles.  As long as there is lemon and a nice crunch, I am happy!  Calamari is so easy to make that my kids ask for it every week (when they don't ask for fries).  I have combined three flours for the coating however you can stick to just seasoned flour if you prefer.  Also, don't bother measuring anything, this recipe should be easy.  If you watch the video you will see I just throw the dry ingredients together, cooking is unlike baking in that regard.  Lastly, you can find cleaned calamari frozen almost anywhere or fresh at your farmers market, both work great.  OH, and what exactly is calamari?  Calamari is squid.  The kind you will buy most often has already been cleaned of the ink and outer skin.  The tubes or rings you are eating are the body and the tentacles (my favorite part) are indeed, the tentacles.  Calamari can also be sautéed or grilled, maybe we will try that next season!  

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Fried Calamari 

Recipe courtesy of Celeste

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds calamari, cleaned, rinsed and sliced in rings if using tubes.

Buttermilk

2 cups flour

2 cups corn masa flour, also called masa harina

1 cup corn meal

kosher salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika

2 Tablespoons Tony Chachere’s seasoning

6 cups peanut oil 

3 lemons

Marinara sauce for serving/dipping

Soak cleaned and sliced calamari in buttermilk for a few hours or overnight

                                                      Get ready: 

Line a huge sheet pan with brown paper 
(I usually overlap lunch bags)

Slice 2 lemons in half and 1 in wedges 
to serve on the side

Grab your salt and have it handy

Heat your marinara and add to a small bowl and place on sheet pan

Heat your peanut oil to about 350 degrees 
(I never measure the temp, I just throw in a pinch of flour to see if it bubbles up, that means it is ready).

Mix flour, masa and corn meal in a large bowl with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and Tony Chachere’s Seasoning, mix together.

Strain calamari

                                                      You are ready to fry:

Take a huge handful of calamari and 
add to flour mixture,

toss to coat or mix gently

Add to hot oil and stay near

Calamari will cook very quickly, 
it will only take a minute or two. 

Remove with a wire strainer and spread out over brown paper. 

Sprinkle immediately with salt and half lemon

Repeat with another huge handful of calamari

Repeat until you have cooked all the calamari

Eat immediately! 

Note:  Unlike when I make my French fries, I do not re-use this oil.  I wait until it cools and add it to an empty pickle jar to discard in the trash.  Do not throw it down the sink.  

Everyone loves a good Cuban Sandwich

Although I grew up in South Florida, home of some of the best Cuban Sandwiches, it wasn't until  I moved to Atlanta that I tried my first one.  Now, if I'm being honest, I still prefer a pastrami on rye with melted provolone and spicy mustard any day of the week.  But, there is a great Cuban restaurant, La Fonda, that my husband and I adore.  The have a few variations on the typical Cuban and over the years we have tried many of them....the classic with Roasted Pork, Sweet Ham and Swiss paired with dill pickles and cuban bread is still the best.  In my version, I used deli pork just because it saved me time, however, I think this sandwich should be on the menu the day after you roast a pork or enjoy pork tenderloin for dinner.  If you make this on a grill, I would use indirect head and smash your sandwich between a brick covered in aluminum.  If you have a panini press, that is the fastest way to achieve perfection however a fry pan and some butter with another pan to smash your Cuban will work just as well.  Just attempt this sandwich like you would attempt a grilled cheese.  And...if you are feeling frisky, try adding some thinly sliced salami like they do in Tampa.

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Tailgating Tidbits 

Cuban Sandwich

Recipe courtesy of Celeste

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Cuban bread

Softened Butter for griddle or grill pan 

1/2 pound deli ham, sliced thin

1/2 pound deli roast pork, sliced thin 

(unless you have leftovers from dinner) 

2/3 pound deli swiss cheese, sliced thin

*1/2 pound hard salami, sliced thin 

(optional for Tampa version) 

Yellow mustard

Kosher dill pickles, rounds or stackers 

Slice open bread and butter inside

(or butter griddle and lay bread on butter for a minute) 

Spread yellow mustard on both sides of bread

Layer with swiss, ham and pork, finish with swiss

Top with pickles 

Place sandwich on griddle or fry pan over medium heat, 

the same heat for a grilled cheese. 

You have to smash sandwich.  

You can use a brick covered in aluminum 

or a heavy pan to smash sandwich.

The sandwich is ready when the 

cheese is melted and the bread is toasty. 

Cut on the diagonal and enjoy!

Want Fries With That?

There is a famous sandwich served in Pittsburg loaded with Italian meat, sharp Provolone cheese, homemade cole slaw and stacked with french fries.....yup, this is the Ultimate Tailgating Hoagie.  I tried to re-create this bad boy and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I think the final product is perfect for any tailgate.  If you are home watching the game, use frozen fries, if you are on-site you are going to need your deep fryer but it is worth it.  The addition of fries is not only fun, the added texture and salt are worth it!  Order your deli meat, sliced thin but not shaved, and if you are in a hurry pick up cole slaw pre-made.  Use the four Italian meats I choose or get creative.  I choose a poppy seed hoagie roll and toasted it lightly with a touch of butter.  The entire family adored this sandwich and we will make it again and again (no tomatoes for the picky eaters).

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The Ultimate Tailgating Hoagie

Recipe courtesy of Celeste

Ingredients:                          

1 pound provolone, sliced thin

½ pound each, sliced thin

      mortadella, hard salami, 

      hot capicola ham, 

      pastrami

1 large tomato, sliced

Prepared cole slaw  

(recipe below or can use pre-made)

French fries (can buy frozen and cook 

just prior to serving sandwiches)

Hoagie rolls, or large baguette

Butter for spreading on bread

Assemble sandwich:

Butter inside of bread 
and melt in oven, 

grill or over a flat top, 
you can also brush inside 
with melted butter

Layer one piece of bread with 
provolone followed by each 
of the meats, finish with 
another layer of provolone. 

Top with sliced tomatoes

Add cole slaw on top of tomatoes

Smash on French fries

Add top piece of bread, slice in half and 

serve immediately with napkins

Dressing for Cole Slaw:

In a large bowl, mix the following

2 T Dijon

2 T yellow mustard

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Juice of one lemon

1 T brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

salt/pepper

Cole Slaw : 

1 bag of Cole slaw mix

4 scallions sliced

1 handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Mix the dressing and add the cole slaw ingredients, toss to combine.