Garlicky Grilled Calamari and Nectarine salad
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Generous pinch ground turmeric (about 1/8 teaspoon)
- Generous pinch store-bought or homemade garam masala, recipe follows
- Pinch of red chile flakes, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound baby squid (tubes and tentacles), cleaned
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4 cups baby arugula, washed and dried completely
- 1 large nectarine, pit removed and quartered
- 3 large cinnamon sticks (if you have the kind you get at Indian stores, it's about 3 tablespoons of cinnamon bark bits)
- 3 tablespoons whole cloves
- 1/4 cup green cardamom pods, shelled, husks discarded (about 2 tablespoons of seeds)
- 4 large black cardamom pods, shelled, husks discarded (about 1 tablespoon of seeds), optional
- For the dressing: Place the minced garlic cloves on a cutting board, then sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Using the back of your knife, mash the garlic to form a paste.
- Add it to a bowl with the lime juice, 1/4 cup oil, cumin, turmeric, garam masala and red chile flakes, if using.
- Whisk together, then season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Remove 3 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside for the squid.
- For the squid: Heat up a large grill pan over high heat.
- Don't put anything on the grill until it's screaming hot!
- That will prevent the excess sticking.
- Meanwhile, place the lemon juice in a large salad bowl and whisk in a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Add the arugula and toss to lightly coat.
- Transfer to a serving platter.
- Drizzle the nectarine slices with olive oil, and lay them on the grill, turning every minute or so until the fruit have nice grill marks all over.
- Remove them to a plate.
- Pat the squid dry with paper towels, if necessary, and add to the reserved marinade.
- Toss to coat.
- Shake the calamari of the excess marinade, and place the tubes and tentacles on the hot grill, cooking about 3 minutes per side.
- If the squid sticks, wait another 30 seconds or so.
- When it's well-seared, it will release!
- Remove the calamari from grill, and slice the calamari tubes (bodies) into rings.
- Add rings and tentacles to the bowl of reserved dressing and toss well to coat.
- Arrange the nectarine wedges and calamari on the platter, over the bed of arugula.
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over the bowl, as desired, and serve.
- Combine the cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds, if using in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind until fine.
- Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.
- Yield: about 1/2 cup.
garlic, extravirgin olive oil, ground cumin, generous, generous, red chile, kosher salt, baby squid, lemon, baby arugula, nectarine, cinnamon, whole cloves, green cardamom pods, black cardamom pods
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/garlicky-grilled-calamari-and-nectarine-salad-recipe.html (may not work)