Calamaretti is the diminutive of calamari and Italians do mean small. This is a common recipe for braised calamaretti. In Australia it is often difficult to purchase small sized squid or cuttlefish, but do your best. A tegame, is a shallow pan.
The photo of this squid was taken in the fish market in Catania, however I have been extremely pleased with the squid from my fish vendor (Happy Tuna stall in the Queen Victoria Market) and I have been buying it frequently.
I particularly like char grilled calamari with a salmoriglio dressing (oil, lemon, parsley, oregano). However, a simple braised calamari is also a good alternative, especially in winter.
For a main course you will need 3 kg of young calamari or more because they shrink. Potatoes and peas are often included in this dish.
TOMATO SALSA: fresh, peeled, ripe, chopped tomatoes or a can (with the liquid), a little extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves left whole, fresh basil or dried oregano and a little seasoning. Place all of the ingredients into a pan together and evaporate until thickened. Add a little sugar, more olive oil and some extra leaves of fresh basil.
Yes, the salmorigo on grilled calamari is very hard to beat indeed.
Hi Marisa,
Beautiful pic of globe artichokes! After being disappointed last weekend when we went to buy the globe artichoke seelings at the Bittern Market and the stallholder want’s there, Margo found some as good as the others had looked at a nursery near Monash. We’ve planted them in the front yard. One of our Italian neighbours asked what we had planted and commented that she really liked to eat artichokes too. This weekend is a perfect time, according to our moon planting chart, to also plant root vegetables, so the tree onions and garlic are going in as well.