Traditionally, calamari are cooked with the skin on—it is the skin that gives a purple hue to the sauce. But if you want, you can peel it off.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　10 small (about 5-ounce) squid (about 3 pounds total)

　　6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

　　4 fresh thyme sprigs

　　Crushed hot red pepper

　　1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

　　1/2 cup dry white wine

　　Salt

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　

Step 1

Clean the calamari according to directions on page 40, leaving the skin intact if you prefer. Cut the bodies into 1/2-inch rings and set them and the tentacles in a colander to drain well.

　　

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil and cook, shaking the pan, until golden, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to high, scatter the calamari in the skillet, and season with the thyme and lightly with crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, until the water from the calamari has evaporated and the calamari have begun to caramelize, 6 to 8 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Sprinkle the vinegar over the calamari and scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, continuing to scrape the skillet. Cook until the wine is evaporated and the calamari are golden, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and crushed red pepper to taste, stir in the parsley, and serve.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 130.5 calories

　　122.1 calories from fat

　　13.6g total fat

　　1.9 g saturated fat

　　0.4 mg cholesterol

　　2.8 mg sodium

　　2.2 g total carbs

　　0.7 g dietary fiber

　　0.4 g sugars

　　0.6 g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.