Spicy Calamari with Bacon and Scallions

Mr. B and I spent the day trying to buy a house for Barry and Carly to share. I thought it was going to be easy. All you hear is that it's a "buyer's market". And while that may be generally true, it seems that every house we were interested in, the sellers were not negotiating. At all. Really?

And these were all houses that needed work. We're talking knocking out walls, ripping up 1960's kelly green carpet, replacing avacado appliances, etc., etc., etc..

So we're back at it tomorrow.

When we got home tonight, I wanted something easy. And then there's the whole commitment I made in yesterday's post. Whatever "easy" I wanted needed to come from the pages of all those magazines.

This Spicy Calamari with Bacon and Scallions was perfect. Mr. B looooves both calamari and spicy. And I looooove bacon. We were both happy!

Try this one:

Spicy Calamari with Bacon and Scallions

Serves 4 (Main Course)

Gourmet, November 1997

Sauteing the squid in the bacon fat adds tons of flavor to the seafood itself. Fried calamari with marinara sauce will be but a distant memory once you try this.

1 1/2 lb cleaned medium squid

1/4 lb bacon (about 5 slices) cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 cup chopped scallions

1/2 tsp dried hot red-pepper flakes

Rinse squid under cold water, then pat dry between paper towels. Halve large tentacles lengthwise and cut bodies (including flaps, if attached) crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide rings.

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden and crisp, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Toss squid with 1/4 tsp salt.

Heat fat remaining in skillet over hight heat until very hot, then saite squid with scallions and red-pepper flakes until just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Serve squid immediately, sprinkled with bacon.

As you can tell, I've started the November recipes in October. Here's why.....during the month of November I will be in New York City, Whistler, B.C., Naples, Florida and then back to The Villages, FL for Thanksgiving. Ummm, yeah.