Calamari alla Siciliana

By LeeBoruchow

Two-Minute Calamari, Sicilian Lifeguard Style: Squid needs to be cooked either 2 minutes or an hour... anything in between will leave you displeased.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 cup Israeli couscous
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons currants
• 1/4 cup caperberries
• 1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups basic tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds cleaned calamari, tubes cut into 1/4-inch rounds, tentacles halved
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced, reserve some for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Set up an ice bath nearby. Cook the couscous in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and immediately plunge it into the ice bath. Once cooled, remove and set aside to dry on a plate.

Ina 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the oil until just smoking. Add the pine nuts, garlic, currants, caperberries and red pepper flakes, and saute until the pine nuts are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the couscous and bring to a boil. Add the calamari, stir to mix, and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the calamari is just cooked and completely opaque. Toss in the scallions. Season with salt and pepper, pour into a large warm bowl, sprinkle with the reserved scallions, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately with warm bread.