Calamari alla Mamma Rosa | Squid & Tomato Sauce Recipe

When most people think of "calamari,” or squid, their minds immediately jump to the famous fried calamari. Calamari fritti is fantastic, but there are a ton of amazing ways that Italians cook squid and we think more people should know about them!

Calamari alla Mamma Rosa | Squid & Tomato Sauce Recipe

This recipe is one of our favorites and comes from Eva’s mother, Mamma Rosa. The squid is sautéed with olive oil and wine, then stewed in a thick (and spicy, if you like) tomato sauce until tender. Try it and you may find that you have a new favorite calamari recipe!

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CALAMARI ALLA MAMMA ROSA RECIPE

Makes: 3 to 4 servings

Cook Time: 1 hour

For this recipe, you will need:

• 3 pounds (1.3 kg) fresh, cleaned squid (they can be pre-cut as if for fried calamari, or see below for prepping your own from whole squid)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 1 or 2 dried chili peppers, chopped (optional)

• ½ cup (120 ml) white wine

• Fresh black pepper

• Salt

• 14 ounces (400 g) canned whole peeled tomatoes

• Chopped parsley, to taste

For this recipe, the squid should be cut as if for fried calamari. Often squid is sold precut for this purpose. If that’s the case, skip this step. Otherwise, if you have squid which was sold with whole bodies and tentacles, you can cut them yourself. With a pair of kitchen scissors, slice the bodies into 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide rings. Cut the base of each tentacle piece in half, so each yields two pieces.

Add enough olive oil into a medium pot to cover the bottom. Add the garlic and chili peppers, and heat over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Add the squid and cook, stirring frequently, until the squid rings start to curl—about 10 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Season the squid generously with fresh black pepper and salt. Cook uncovered for a few minutes until the smell of alcohol dissipates. Meanwhile, in a bowl, crush the whole peeled tomatoes by hand into a pulp.

When the smell of alcohol is gone, add the tomatoes into the pot, along with another pinch of salt. Lower the heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook partially covered, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until the sauce becomes very thick. As the sauce nears completion, taste it and salt it again if necessary.

Turn off the heat and stir in some fresh, chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Buon appetito!