Calamari with Lemon, Garlic and Piri-Piri

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It has been many months since I last cooked a Tessa Kiros dish, and I Heart Cooking Club is saying farewell to Tessa Kiros, this week being the last week that they are cooking from Tessa Kiros's recipes. There are many recipes of Tessa Kiros's that I have bookmarked to try, somehow time flies ever so fast, and without realizing it, 6 months of cooking with Tessa is already up! So for the final potluck, I have chosen this delicious calamari dish that I will be cooking again and again!

This dish is somewhat similar to our local Nyonya dish, where we use tamarind paste for the tinge of sourness and coriander leaves for the fragrance, here Tessa uses lemon juice, dried oregano and parsley. There's only one word to describe, YUMMY! We love it, the only thing that I regret when cooking this is, I only used about 500gm of squids, the next time I'm gonna double up the amount! 

I'm submitting this to I Heart Cooking Club, where this week's theme is "March Potluck! Goodbye Tessa, And Thank You". Definitely, this won't be the last dish of Tessa Kiros that I'll be trying. I have tried several of her recipes, and all are delicious! 

I Heart Cooking Club will be going all out with Mexican food with another chosen chef for the next six months, Rick Bayless. Please visit I Heart Cooking Club for more details.

Calamari with Lemon, Garlic and Piri-piri
(adapted from "Piri-piri Starfish" by Tessa Kiros)
400gm baby calamari
30gm butter
1 scant teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
a pinch of ground Piri-piri
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt to taste

1. To prepare the calamari, firmly pull the head and innards from the body and wash the body well. Cut off the head just below the eyes, leaving the tentacles in one piece if they're small. Discard the head, pull the transparent quill out of the body and rinse out the tube. Peel off the outer membrane and slice the tube into three or four rings.
2. Put the butter into a hot pan and heat until it sizzles. Add the oregano and cook for a moment until it smells good. Add the tubes and tentacles and cook on the highest heat until all the liquid evaporates. Sprinkle with salt and a little pepper and, when it's all turning golden, turn with a wooden spoon and scrape up any bits tuck to the pan.
3. Add the garlic and turn through until you start to smell it. Add the lemon juice and however much piri-piri you like. Let it bubble up, check the seasoning and stir in the parsley over the heat for just a moment longer. Add a touch more butter and lemon juice to the pan if you like more sauce. Serve hot in the pan with bread.

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The Home Bakers will officially start their first bake on 3rd April. To find out more about joining in and be a member, visit The Home Bakers for more details!!