Spaghetti with Crispy Squid and Chili Oil

This pasta is spicy, herby, lemony, and calls for both oil and butter.  So it’s real indulgent, too.  Make sure your oil is hot enough before you cook the squid so it gets a nice sear on it and don’t forget to save your pasta water!  This is the velvety, punchy, delicious sauce your spaghetti (and squid!) always dreamed of being dressed in!  Enjoy! 

1 package spaghetti

1 cup Calabrian chili oil

6 Calabrian chilis, sliced (or whatever peppers jarred in oil you'd like)

2 cloves garlic, slices

1 pound fresh squid (rings and tentacles)

kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup pasta water

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup fresh chives

Juice and zest of one lemon

In a large pot of generously salted boiling water, cook pasta until not quite al dente, about 5 minutes.  While pasta is boiling, pat squid dry with paper towel, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.  In another large pot or pan (something like a braiser or dutch oven works!) warm Calabrian chilis and oil on medium high heat.  Add garlic and tomato paste and stir.  When garlic is tender, add squid to the oil mixture.  Do not stir too much.  Allow the squid to sear on each side so it is crispy.  Cook about 6 minutes.  Once squid is cooked, remove it from the pan (so it stays crispy).  Add one cup of pasta water and deglaze the pan.  Once the water is cooked down a bit, add the pasta by removing it from the boiling pot with tongs (so water does not drain off).  Add butter, stir and cook until pasta is al dente and butter is melted.  Turn heat down to simmer, add lemon juice, lemon zest, and put the squid back in.  Roughly chop herbs and add to the pasta.  Stir to incorporate and serve immediately.

Marinated Sardine and Mashed Avocado Toast

This works as an elegant appetizer or as a quick breakfast eaten feverishly over the sink.  That’s why I love it so much.  Toast is versatile, comforting, and everyone’s into it.  This one is a punchy cross between a European tinned fish staple and a California classic and it comes together real fast.  There’s a lot to love about it. 

1 loaf of good bread (sourdough, baguette, focaccia, whatever you’d like)

2 tins good sardines in olive oil

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice and zest of one lemon

2 ripe avocados

1/2 cup parsley chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Slice bread and toast until crunchy and golden.  Set aside.  In a medium skillet, over medium heat, warm the olive oil.  Once the olive oil is hot add the sardines, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for about 2 minutes and remove from heat.  Add the lemon juice and zest, stir, and set aside.  In a medium bowl, roughly mash 2 avocados with a pinch of salt and any leftover lemon juice.  To assemble, spread avocado mash onto each piece of toast, spoon sardines and oil on to each piece of toast, then finish with a squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Serve immediately.

Head-on Shrimp in Garlicky Tomato Sauce

Head-on shrimp is a show stopper that’s kinda just reserved primarily for restaurant dining and I’m not sure why.  Cooking whole shrimp is super easy and eating them is way more fun than eating the peeled ones.  #1 though, cooking shrimp in their whole shell allows them to retain more flavor and moisture which you lose a lot of when the shells are removed.  So for this recipe in particular, you’re getting even more juicy, lemony, winey, spicy, flavor with each bite by leaving the heads.  It’s perfect served with a loaf of crusty bread to mop up all the juices and works real well as a warm weather meal or a cozy one. Whatever you want!

2 pounds head-on shrimp

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

A splash of white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons

2 tablespoons parsley leaves

Add olive oil to a large skillet on medium high heat.  Once oil is warmed, add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Once the garlic begins to sizzle, add tomato paste and stir so the paste is in a thin layer and can cook evenly for about 1 minute.  Add the juice of one lemon and a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan and continue to stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add shrimp and allow to cook just a few minutes on each side, until they are bright pink.  Stir shrimp until they become coated with tomato paste mixture.  Once the shrimp are cooked, transport them to a serving dish, squeeze one half of the second lemon over them, cut the other half into wedges, and add to serving dish.  Garnish with parsley, more salt, and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.