Drunken Calamari with vegetables and fluffy rice
Just get a good wine and enjoy your delicious and homemade Calamari with fluffy rice!
How to prepare the Calamari for this dish
If you buy fresh Calamari then you need to remove its entrails, cut it into rings, and clean it well under running water until you see the water is clear. After that, you need to let it drain on a strainer and use kitchen paper to pat it dry before you add it to the pot.
If you buy frozen Calamari then you just need to defrost it, preferably overnight in your fridge, wash it, drain it, and then pat it dry before you use it.
I prefer to use a pressure cooker for this dish because it keeps the Calamari juices inside the pot, and makes the Calamari super soft. Nevertheless, I have included instructions in my recipe below on how to cook it with a normal pot too.
What wine to choose for Drunken Calamari?
Red or White wine you might be wondering? Let me tell you I have tried it with both and I liked the red wine better but that might be because the red wine I used was of better quality.
So, as advice to you before you start to cook this dish, I would recommend you use a quality wine either red or white because it’s what can make or break this dish. If I have white and red wine of equal quality I will use the red one.
What rice to choose for this dish and how to cook it
For this dish I recommend using long rice and to be more specific either Parboiled or Basmati (or Jasmine) type. For both rice types, you need to wash it well in a bowl with plenty of water and change the water 3 times before you drain it to be ready for use.
Washing the rice before adding it to your food serves two purposes: 1st it makes it fluffy and 2nd you get rid of the preservatives that are added to any rice that’s in a bag.
2 ways to cook Drunken Calamari
I’ve divided the ingredients for this dish into Basic and Additional because you may use only the basic ingredients for your everyday cooking and only include the additional ingredients for something special.
I’m giving you two ways to choose to cook this dish and the decision is up to you! Let’s Stay Fresh and let’s get cooking!
Drunken Calamari with vegetables and fluffy rice
Ingredients:
Basic:
- 1 kg Calamari (Squid) cut into rings
- 250g long Rice, (Parboiled or Basmati type, washed and drained) (1.5 teacups)
- 90g white or red Wine (½ wine glass)
- 1 cup frozen vegetables
- 250g water, boiling (1.5 teacups)
- 1 large Onion, diced
- 1 clove of Garlic, coarsely chopped
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
Additional:
- 2 Apples, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 Tbsp Butter (or Margarine if you are fasting)
- 1/2 Tbsp Raisins of your choice (optional)
- 5 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- Lemon juice from ½ lemon
Instructions:
- Wash, clean, and cut the Calamari into rings.
- Pat the Calamari dry with kitchen paper and set it aside until it is time to use it.
- Sauté the onion with the garlic in a pot over high heat and add the Calamari letting it sauté with the onion and garlic for no longer than 1 minute.
- Pour the wine over the Calamari but do not close the lid of the pot to let the alcohol evaporate for a few minutes.
- If you have a pressure cooker: close the lid, wait a couple of minutes to come to a boil over high heat, and then turn off the heat letting it cook for 15 minutes. (or follow the instructions of your pressure cooker brand).
- On a normal pot: Close the lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the boiling water and the vegetables and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice, and as soon as the water boils, lower the heat to the minimum of your stove and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat.
- For the additional ingredients: Set a non-stick skillet over high heat and melt the butter a little. Stir in the apples and pour the lemon juice, the raisins, and the sugar. Sauté them all together until the apple gets caramelized a bit and mix them with the calamari and rice.
- Serve it with Greek yogurt and enjoy!
Notes:
- The ingredients are divided into two groups because you can only use the basic ingredients to make this dish as part of your everyday cooking in one pot but if you would like to step up your game you may use the additional ingredients to enhance this dish even more!
- I am using Parboiled long rice in this recipe but if you decide to use Basmati instead reduce the water input to 220g water for 250g of Basmati rice.
- Also, I’m using a pressure cooker to cook the Calamari in the video which keeps its juices inside the pot, if you use a normal pot to cook it you might need extra water for boiling the rice (whichever rice you choose) about 30g more because part of the water will evaporate while simmering for 30 minutes.
- If you are fasting you can replace the butter with margarine and skip the yogurt when you serve it.
- Recipes, Fish
- apples, bell peppers, calamari in wine, carrots, drunken calamari, greek squid and rice, lemon, rice, rice dish, squid, vegetables
- CUISINE: Greek Traditional
- Recipe by: Christina Karagianni
Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiato or show me your photos on Pinterest!
