Stewed Calamari with Whole Wheat Pasta

Last weekend, I went on a stay-at-home double date with the boyfriend, the boyfriend's best friend, and his girlfriend, who is very very Italian. Like born and raised in Italy kind of Italian. Not the Brooklyn kind of Italian and most definitely not the Jersey Shore kind of Italian. She made us a wonderful meal of antipasto, steamed mussels, calamari, and baked red snapper (not pictured). My favorite was the calamari, which was cooked in a garlicky tomato sauce that I much prefer over the typical fried bits that are available in restaurants.  

A delightfully light and authentic Italian dinner

I decided to take a stab at the calamari yesterday. I looked up a few recipes and decided to make a stewed calamari pasta sauce (adapted from this recipe).

The best part about making this dish was how simple and inexpensive the ingredients were. Canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, and garlic are staples in my kitchen, so all I needed were a pound of squid (both tentacles and body), fennel, and a bottle of red wine (not pictured). 

Simple ingredients call for easy preparation

After chopping up the veggies and squid, I sauteed and slightly browned the onions, garlic, and fennel in olive oil before adding the wine and tomato paste. After about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat or until the alcohol is cooked out and the liquid is slightly reduced, I added the crushed tomatoes and squid before leaving everything to simmer for about 90 minutes. Make sure to give everything a good stir every 15 minutes or so to keep the bottom from burning.

I plated the stewed calamari with whole wheat pasta before committing a cardinal sin for Italians. I... (gasp)... grated cheese on top. But whatever, it was delicious. 

Cheese is a huge no-no with seafood, but I obviously don't care

Besides the cooking time, stewed calamari is relatively hard to mess up. Plus, it's healthy and in-line with my goal of eating lighter (more seafood, sliiightly less red meat). Yes, I know there's a pound of grated cheese on top, but baby steps, right?