Welcome to the last week of 2010, and the last week of the decade. Makes it even more
dramatic doesn't it? After the Christmas festivities are all over, and  we roll into New Year's Eve
I was hoping for a nice week at work and a little relaxation at night.  Well, the weather decided
to end the decade with a bang and dumped 3 ft of snow in my area.  So, White Christmas
aside, the white stuff would have been somewhat enjoyed had I not still been sitting here, 48
hours after the snow, still stuck in the house because the town has not yet cleared the roads
around my home.  Stuck.  Can't go anywhere.  Can't get to the store, the doctor, the pharmacy,
anywhere.  Not happy with this scenario.
   The light as the sun just set was amazing, and
the snow glowed a deep blue...had to take the picture.  Aren't those tunnels fun?  No, no they are
not...please tell me March is around the corner!  A cook should always be prepared for a rainy
(snowy)day and I was.  My cabin fever dictated making a tasty meal tonight and since I had
some calamari (or , in our dialect, calamadd') left from Friday, I thought, fried calamari with a
pasta in a Marinara sauce.

These are the calamari, whole calamari.  For this recipe all you need are the cleaned
bodies, known as tubes, and some of the tentacles.  These happened to be baby
calamari, very tender, very sweet.  For those of you who know how to clean them, it's
not that easy and takes some time, let's use the regular calamari, and let's use 6
large  tubes cut into 1/8 inch rings.  For those who don't, buy the calamari already
cleaned.  It takes some time to clean the whole bodies, which need the head and
tentacles split from the bodies, then the bodies cleaned out, then the side fins pulled
off, the rubbing the speckled colored sheathing off the bodies.  Already you're too tired
to do this, so, buy them already cleaned.  Set the rings aside.  Make a marinara sauce
from 1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes, 2 tbs. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes,
1 anchovy filet, 2 cloves of garlic, sliced, and a handful of fresh basil, 2 tbs. vermouth,
salt.  Heat the oil, add the anchovy , the garlic, and the pepper flakes.  when you can
smell the garlic, sprinkle with salt and then mash the anchovy in to the oil.  Now add
the vermouth, swirling the pan.  Then add the tomatoes and 2 tbs. of tomato paste.
Mix well, and check for seasoning.  Toss in the fresh basil...NOT DRIED!!! EVER!!!

In a medium sized bowl, add 1/8 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper, 1/2 tsp. granu-
lated garlic. Blend well.  Heat 1/4 cup of peanut or vegetable oil, plus 2 tbs. of olive oil to a
heavy pan.   Also, bring a pot of water to the boil for your pasta.  You can have all three things
going on your stove at this point.  When the water is boiling, add the pasta, spaghetti,
angel hair or linguine.  Cook till al dente.  Drain and reserve covered.
The sauce should cook for no more than 1/2 hour on simmer. 
Dredge the calamari in the flour and fry in batches in the hot oil draining on paper towels.
The calamari should cok for 31/2 minutes, try to cut them into equal sized rings so they all
cook at the same time.  Flip the calamari halfway thru.  Check one for doneness..it should
be firm yet not tough, and very sweet.   Don't crowd the pan, do this in batches. 


Do the frying less than 5-10 minutes before the sauce is done so the calamari is still warm and
crisp when you add it to the dish.  Add the drained pasta to the pot of sauce and mix well over
a low flame.  Now plate onto a platter and sprinkle the calamari over the top.  Garnish with
lemon slices, and add a squeeze to the finshed dish...and some chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf
parsley, some additional hot pepper flakes.  Serve...and awesome pasta dish.  I love the crunch
and the texture of the squid with the soft firmness of the pasta, and the vibrancy of the tomato
sauce.  A nice dish to have on hand for a special weekend meal or company!
This will serve around 4-6 people.