Tortellini with Calamari

Tortellini with Calamari

Why do so many people turn their noses up at calamari?  Maybe because calamari is a fancy way of saying squid. I can just hear some of you now, “Ewe! Gag me!” Those of you that didn’t have that reaction think of calamari as a deep fried appetizer served at Italian restaurants.

I generally follow the philosophy that anything that is worth eating can probably be made into a pasta sauce. That is certainly the case with calamari. Note, you can also use that frozen mixed seafood (which usually has calamari, shrimp, cuttlefish and mussels) if you can’t find just plain calamari. 

Olive oil

3 shallots, minced fine

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. thyme

Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce

1 lb. frozen calamari rings

1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini

Preparation

Heat a large skillet. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and then add the shallots and garlic. Stir until they soften, but do not brown the garlic! Add the white wine and the mushrooms. Bring the wine to a boil and then simmer gently for five minutes.

Put the canned tomatoes in a blender along with the basil, thyme, the hots sauce and a few sprinkles of cajun seasoning. Blend until just smooth. Add the contents of the blender to the skillet and let it simmer, uncovered for about ten minutes to reduce it by about half. 

Add the calamari to the skillet and bring it back to a boil. Let it simmer for another three minutes to cook the calamari. You don’t want to overcook the calamari or it will become tough. Taste it and adjust for salt and pepper. Let it rest while you cook the tortellini.

Serving

To serve this, place a big pile of tortellini in a shallow bowl and smother it in the sauce. Have plenty of good, crusty bread for dipping in the sauce. I’d also suggest a Greek style salad, broiled asparagus and a bottle of Valpolicella. Have plenty of everything because you’ll probably go back for seconds. I always do.