Linguini With A Spicy Tomato Sauce With Calamari

This sauce is sort of a combination of Puttanesca and Arrabbiata.

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

1 can diced tomato

1 diced onion

5 cloves garlic

6 anchovies chopped

2 tablespoons capers

12 green olives, pitted and chopped

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste (quite a few salty ingredients, so be cautious)

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

a handful of fresh basil, chopped

grated Parmesan cheese

CALAMARI

THIS IS IMPORTANT
The Secret to Beautifully Tender Calamari

Clean and trim the calamari, removing all the inedible bits.

Place in a bowl.

Sprinkle over a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Massage well into all the calamari and then cover with just enough water.

Leave for 20 minutes or more, not less, and then rinse well to remove the baking soda.

Place in a colander to drain.

COATING FOR THE CALAMARI

1 teaspoon za'atar spice
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried origano
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cake flour

mix all of the above together well in a large bowl.

Put all the pieces of calamari in the bowl and toss around until all are coated in the spice and flour mixture.

Pan fry in olive oil and butter for about 2 minutes. Keep warm in the oven.


SAUCE

Fry the onion in a pan until translucent. Add the garlic and the can of diced tomatoes and simmer for about 30 mins.

Add the chopped olives, capers, anchovies, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer for another 20 minutes to allow to thicken.

Cook the pasta and add to the sauce. Mix the pasta with the sauce. Add the basil and parmesan cheese just before serving with the calamari on top.

Buon Appetito!!