Trick or treat! Ick. Yuck. Gross. Is that what you're thinking? Well, hmph! Give me your portion then. I love calamari (a.k.a. squid), and served in a simple garlic wine sauce over a bed of locally produced Al Dente pasta ... well, I choose this for my Halloween treat.

According to Wikipedia, in English-speaking countries, squid is often marketed as calamari, the Italian word for squid. Many assume calamari are deep fried, chewy rings of indiscernible seafood. Yes it's "calamari" but it's also "squid".

Artisan pastas, such as our own Al Dente pasta, are made with the highest-quality wheat which helps sauces to adhere better to the noodle. As in this recipe, I often undercook pasta and finish cooking it in the sauce. The pasta releases some of the starch, thickening the sauce a bit. As well, the sauce lends flavor to the pasta. Tantalizing symbiosis! I only rinse pasta if using it in a cold pasta salad. Again, you don't want to remove the beautiful starch; in fact, I often add a bit of pasta cooking water to my sauce to add flavor and texture.

Most groceries and markets carry the most popular Al Dente pasta flavors. However, the esoterics are my favorite, one of which includes squid ink pasta, so marvelous with seafood in general. Hiller's, The Produce Station, Monahan's and Knight's Market stock this particular pasta.

Other Seasonal, Festive Recipe Links:

Curried beef stew in a pumpkin shell
Trick or trout: Crispy corn trout
Halloween salmon with squid ink pasta
Black bean and corn salad with cumin-lime dressing
Roasted pumpkin tostados with curried pumpkin seeds
Sugar and spice pumpkin seeds

Yield: 2-3 main course servings
Cost: approx. $8 (using Meijer's Frozen Wild Squid at $3.49/pound)
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound squid, cut into rings, tentacles left whole
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup seafood stock
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Old Bay, or other seafood seasoning blend
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces Al Dente squid ink pasta

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 2 minutes (it will continue to cook further in the sauce.)
2. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. When fat bubbles, add squid to pan and cook 2 minutes, or until squid loses some of the rawness.
3. Add wine to pan and bring to a low boil. Add seafood stock, garlic, Old Bay, red pepper flakes and pasta. Simmer 4-5 minutes or until pasta is tender but firm to the bite.