quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Calamari, Pasta and sauce

Gammy and I like calamari and we do it this way every once in awhile to put a little different twist to both the pasta and the calamari. It’s easy and real good.

For the sauce you can get some out of the freezer that you saved from when you made the Sunday meatballs and spaghetti awhile back or you can get some butoni marinara in the store or you can make a small batch like this.

1 28 oz can of Progresso roma tomatoes, diced.
3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
olive oil
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes, the amount and whether or not you want to include them are optional. We like it a little spicey so we add about 1 tsp. If you go with sauce that is already prepared just put the pepper in when you start to heat it up.
2 tbsp. dried basil or 5 tbsp. chopped fresh

heat up the oil in a sauce pan. Add the garlic and the spices and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Don’t let it get brown. Add the tomatoes and cook over low heat for about 15 min. stirring often.

1 lb of pasta, we like linguini for this, but any pasta of your choice will work. Get it started after you have the sauce going.

¾ - 1 lb of Calamari cleaned and cut into rings. I’ve seen them in the frozen fish section already cleaned and cut up ready to go. If not it’s easy to get the calamari ready, Just cut or pull the head off. Pull out the bone and the innerds. Then the skin pulls off real easy. Then cut it crossways to get the rings. Put them in some water with an ice cube until you’re ready to bread them.

About a cup of Progresso Italian bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs with some dried basil and a little garlic powder added.
Heat up some vegetable oil med high in a heavy sauce pan to cook them in. drop a pinch of crumbs in the oil and when it sizzles it’s ready.

Bread them and fry them ‘til golden brown and let them drain on a paper towel.

Mince up 2-3 cloves of garlic, ¼ cup of fresh parsley chopped or 1 ½ tbsp. of dried and zest from 1 lemon.

Drain the pasta. Portion it out. top the pasta with some sauce, then the calamari, then the lemon zest mixture

SERVE IT IMMEDIATELY!! With some salad, good Italian bread and some chianti or some chilled pino grigio. Either one is good with this.