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Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta Recipe

Calamari Tomato & Basil

I’ve been enjoying the summer weather lately, and been loving the entertainment opportunities that presents too. When I have guests though, I like having pre-prepared, or quick to prepare meals as I don’t like spending ages in the kitchen! That’s just one of the reasons I really enjoy this Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta: it’s easy to prepare before hand, leaving just 10 minutes cooking time required.Calamari Tomato & Basil

I prefer to use fresh pasta when pasta is the main part of the meal, so I’ve used fresh pasta in this recipe. Dry pasta works, but needs to be cooked for longer. It can also be served in a salad, or with quinoa or other starch of your choice.

Use a good quality squid for this recipe too – nothing worse than leathery calamari!

Now, if you want to prepare this meal for later cooking, chop the garlic cloves, wash and dry the cherry tomatoes – halve them if they are the larger variety – wash the squid, clean it and cut it into rings, and chop the basil leaves roughly. Store all the items in the fridge till about 20 minutes before you’re going to cook them, leaving it to warm to room temperature a little.

If your calamari loses a lot of liquid in the cooking, you can pour it out about before adding the cherry tomatoes.

Serve immediately – and if you’re having wine, Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta pairs really well with a dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio – a wine I don’t normally like, but it works fantastically with this. Another alternative is Riesling.

Calamari, Tomato & Basil Pasta
 
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There's a lot of flexibility in this recipe, with room for adaptations to make it your favourite. You may not like anchovies, but don't miss them out as they really add to the flavour of this dish.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Pasta for four people
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 250g cherry tomatoes, washed and dried
  • 450g squid, cleaned and cut into rings
  • bunch cut basil leaves
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Prepare the pasta as per brand instructions. Set aside. (I bring 1000g water to boil in the Thermomix® - Varoma/8 mins/ speed 4 - then add the pasta in the internal steamer for 3 - 4 minutes / Varoma/speed 4)
  2. To a heated pan, add the oil, garlic and anchovy to a frying pan and heat till the anchovy sort of 'melts'.
  3. Add the squid and fry for 1 - 2 minutes, tossing them as you do.
  4. Next, add the cherry tomatoes and fry them for 3 - 4 minutes, till they begin to soften and leak juice - I prefer the cherry tomatoes to still have some bite to them, but it's personal choice, really!
  5. Test the squid to make sure it's nice and tender, then add the basil, salt and pepper.
  6. Serve with the pasta, or as a salad with green leaves.

 

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Spanish Inspired Chorizo, Calamari & Halloumi Salad Recipe

It’s a ‘balmy’ 39 degrees Celsius in Perth today (that’s 102.2 F) and just thinking about cooking is enough to make me cry. I won’t be switching the oven or stove on today! Yesterday, however, was a much more manageable 32C, and having spent some time in the sea, I felt inspired to make a Spanish dish we enjoyed in Barcelona some years back – but adapted a fair bit to stretch it, and use what we have in the house too.

Salad Chorizo

The original was a Chorizo and calamari in red wine tapas dish, but this summerified recipe includes Halloumi – you could probably use Feta too or leave out the Halloumi, but it adds saltiness, texture and flavour to the meal. And I’d include Halloumi in everything if my family allowed it!

SpanishThe amounts in this recipe are a guide, really, and there’s no wrong or right. You can add ingredients – tomatoes would be nice, capers would be lovely too – or remove elements. It all works together beautifully, but none of it is essential.

The Chorizo in our local butcher isn’t very fatty. If it was I would have added the butter for the dressing to it, but as it didn’t leave any drippings, I added olive oil.

Spanish Inspired Chorizo, Calmari & Halloumi Salad Recipe
 
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A versatile, adaptable, easy recipe that can stand the changes you might want to make to it. Feel free to personalise it. Amounts are an estimate and can be changed.
Author:
Recipe type: Salad, Lunch, Summer
Cuisine: Spanish-ish
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 90g (1 bag) Rocket leaves
  • 15g parsley, roughly chopped
  • 250g chorizo, sliced
  • 250g Halloumi, cubed
  • 500g calamari, cleaned and cut into rings
  • 60ml Red wine vinegar (1/4 cup)
For the dressing
  • 50g butter
  • 1 clove garlic
Instructions
  1. Thinly slice one red onion, and pour over 30ml red wine vinegar. Set aside.
  2. Heat up a frying pan to medium to high heat and add a dash of oil, just to prevent the food from sticking to it.
  3. Empty salad leaves into a bowl, add the chopped parsley and set aside. Add any 'extras' you might want to use.
  4. When the frying pan is hot, add the Halloumi and keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn, but browns on both sides. When it's ready, remove from the heat and tip out onto the salad leaves.
  5. Add the Chorizo, and the remaining red wine vinegar, and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes: just long enough to render the fat, but not so long as to make it hard and tough.
  6. Remove from the heat into the salad bowl.
  7. If the Chorizo left some fatty residue, use it, but if not, add some olive oil to the pan again. This time fry the calamari till it is soft and tender - about 3-5 minutes, depending on the quality and size of the calamari rings.
  8. While the calamari is cooking, add about 50g butter and 1 chopped clove of garlic to a small pan (I chop the garlic in the Thermomix®, then add butter, and melt for 90 seconds 50C) to melt the butter.
  9. Add the calamari to the salad, and pour over the butter dressing. Toss the salad, serve & enjoy.