Calamari Casarecce with Herbed Tomato & White Wine Sauce
We are back from our adventure to Panama! We spent twice as much money as we had budgeted, but we learned a lot about what we will do for our NEXT trip. This was the first time I have looked forward to returning from a trip. Don’t get me wrong, the trip was amazing… and two and a half weeks off work- awesome! But, for once in my life I have a job that I love and a home that I look forward to coming back to. Most of all, I was excited to cook for myself again. By the end of our two weeks in Panama, we had eaten enough onion rings, fish and chips and tacos for quite some time. I was excited to cook HEALTHY options!
You are probably wondering why I am posting an Italian dish and not a Panamanian dish. Other than empanadas, I really didn’t find any “authentic” Panamanian food on our trip. We were on the Caribbean side on some island for most of our trip, which meant seafood was the cuisine. I used Casarecce pasta for this dish, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Be careful not to sauté the calamari for too long after adding them to the pan, or else they will become rubbery. This is a great simple recipe for a weeknight, or a date night!
Calamari Casarecce with Herbed Tomato & White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz Casarecce pasta or any other pasta
- 1 T olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium shallot julienne
- 1/2 C white wine
- 1 13 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 2 T basil chopped
- 2 T parsley chopped
- 1 T oregano chopped
- 1 T crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 oz calamari chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions on box.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add shallots and garlic. Saute until fragrant
- Deglaze the pan with white wine. Reduce to 1/4 cup.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium high, add the calamari and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste.
- Toss with the pasta and serve with parmesan cheese if desired.
