Eating In: Jaleo's "Calamares A La Plancha"
We recently visited the Crystal City Jaleo, to not only partake in watching the now famous “Iron Chef: America - Andrés vs. Flay in battle Goat” but also to support one of Andrés favorite charities, D.C. Central Kitchen. We certainly enjoyed watching José Andrés pummel Bobby Flay, but we got even more satisfaction from eating a couple (okay, more than a couple) of Jaleo’s delectable offerings. This left us with the difficult task of choosing one of our favorites to feature in this week’s column, never mind the pressure of re-creating a recipe of an Iron Chef champion.
Although a goat dish would be the most appropriate way to commemorate the battle, we did not have any goat items that night and apparently never will have the option again as Andrés, jokingly, swore off all goat in any of his restaurants. Instead we chose his “Calamares a la Plancha.” This tapas item was one of the last we chose and it ended up blowing all of the others away. The tenderness of the whole squid with the sweet and smoky flavors of pimentos just melted in our mouths.
Since there are only a few inexpensive ingredients in this dish we opted to invest a little extra in a good quality extra virgin olive oil, which we used to finish the dish. This recipe is our interpretation and it serves two “tapas” style portions.
Shopping List:
3 ounce jar of pimentos
1 small can of tomato paste
1 small bottle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of regular olive oil for sautéing
1 bunch parsley
1 clove of garlic
1 lime
4 medium whole squid
Note: If you do not know/have time to clean the whole squid, just ask the person at fish counter to do it for you.
Recipe:
1. If not already done, clean squid by removing the head, beak and any innards. Make sure to save the tentacles.
2. Drain out liquid from pimentos and place on a layer of paper towels to extract any extra liquid. Thinly slice 1 clove of garlic.
3. Heat ½ tablespoon of regular olive oil in a small sauté pan, to a medium/high heat. Add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Stir in pimentos with a little salt and pepper. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until it appears most of the liquid is cooked out. Squeeze the juice from half a lime into the pan and stir, getting up all of the sediment--or deglazing the fond--from the bottom of the pan.
4. Let mixture cool slightly, and add to a food processor or blender along with 1 teaspoon of tomato paste. Purée very well and season slightly with salt and pepper.
Finishing:
5. Chop ¼ bunch of parsley.
6. Coat squid on all sides, including tentacles, with pimento mixture.
7. Heat a large skillet to a high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of regular olive oil. Place squid in pan and cook each side for 2-3 minutes, or until a nice caramelization occurs. Be sure not to overcook as the squid will become tough and rubbery.
8. Place on a serving plate and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.