Calamari Stew with Tomatoes and Garlic Bruschetta

Calamari Stew with Tomatoes and Garlic Bruschetta is a fast and easy Italian recipe, a second dish very agreeable and light. For those who love calamari recipes, this dish is a guarantee of success. Enjoy calamari with an aromatic and tasty sauce and with some crisp slices of garlic toasted bread.

Calamari Stew with Tomatoes is a  typical dish of Mediterranean cuisine and of the classic Italian tradition. It’s a versatile dish; it can be a starter or a second dish, it can also be a perfect basic recipe for a seafood risotto or used as pasta sauce.

Here I propose this classic recipe in a more modern version: you can use it as appetizer or for a standing party or as a main dish, according to the portion and to the presentation.

What is Garlic Bruschetta?

Garlic bruschetta is a starter and a snack very popular in Italy. It’s based on toasted bread (in the oven or with the toaster) rubbed with garlic and topped with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

It’s very important the kind of bread you use for the bruschetta. The best is tuscan and apulian bread, but you can also use black bread with cereals or with whole grain flours. There are many types of bruschetta depending on the ingredients (for example with mozzarella, anchovies, olives, capers …) but the most common bruschetta are garlic bruschetta, bruschetta with oil and salt, or bruschetta with diced fresh tomatoes and basil.

Calamari Stew with Tomatoes and Garlic Bruschetta Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

Clean the squids carefully. Remove the entrails, the central cartilage and skin, then rinse under running water (1-2). Cut calamari in the length direction, so to obtain long strips of about 1cm in width (3). These calamari strips will curl during cooking, forming some nice curls similar in shape to fusilli pasta. This way the sauce will stick better to the squids than with traditional calamari rings.

In a large pan put extra virgin olive oil, the chopped onion and two cloves of garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes over low heat (4).Then add the calamari strips (5). Raise the heat, sprinkle with white wine and let it evaporate (6).

Now add the tomato passata, salt and pepper and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the calamari are curled up and become tender (8). Remember to remove the garlic before serving (9).

Serve Calamari Stew with Tomatoes and Garlic Bruschetta as a main dish (10) or put the calamari sauce over some small garlic bruschetta and serve them as appetizer during dinner or during a party buffet (11).