Food for the Soul
I feel extremely lucky as I am part of the small group of people who managed to escape the global pandemic for a few days. After eight months I am finally reunited with my family in Greece.
Having the privilege of sitting around the table together again feels surreal and I am not even sure there are words to describe the feeling.
The days go by slowly and steadily. All my worries seem to disappear and for a brief moment I am a small child again. Dinner time is exciting because we’ll all get to sit together, talk, drink, laugh and even argue. We all share our food and our stories.
Aside from being therapeutical, this much needed break from London has also reminded how important food is in my life and how happy it makes me to share it with the people I love.
I’ve still got a few days to spend here and hopefully I’ll be back in London soon without major issues, so in the coming days I’m going to get my hands dirty and share a few recipes cooked along with my wonderful mum (she is a far better cook than I am).
In the meantime here’s an “appetiser”: are my three golden rules for prefect fried calamari.
Golden Rules For Perfect Fried Calamari
DRY
It’s important to dry your calamari well or the flour won’t stick to them properly.
Wash them and clean them and clean them a day early. Put them in a colander and add a plate on top. The weight will help drain the excess water.
Put the covered colander in a bowl and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
COAT
Add flour in a container with a lid. Add your calamari and then close the lid. Hold your container tightly with two hands and shake. Shake it the same way you would if you were making a nice cocktail (my choice would be a Margarita!).
Open the lid and put your calamari in a colander. Shake to get rid of the excess flour.
FRY
Use a deep pan. Add a generous amount of oil and heat it up . Be patient and make sure the oil is very hot. To see if it’s ready drop only one calamari in the oil. If the oil is bubbling it means it’s ready. Fry for a few minutes until golden.
Dry on kitchen roll, add salt, a squeeze of lemon and serve.
