Fried Calamari

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pound clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1 cup simple tomato sauce, recipe follows or jarred marinara sauce, warmed


Directions

Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3
inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour,
parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches,
toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid
to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute
per batch. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari
to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate. Sprinkle
with salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

Yield: 6 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
East of preparation: easy

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion
and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10
minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute
until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes
and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until
thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still
tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round
out the flavors.

Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process
until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to
2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6
months.

From: food network