Stewed Calamari with Spinach and Garlic

1 lb cleaned calamari 

1 lb fresh spinach 

2 medium tomatoes 

2 whole garlics 

1 medium shallot 

1 stick celery crushed, dried red pepper 

oregano and basil (fresh or dried) 

white wine whole lemon 

Prepare calamari: slice bodies into 2-cm rings, and leave tentacles whole. Raw squids are tough and slippery, so be careful! 

Generously poor olive oil into a heavy, wide, flat pan, up to maybe a cm deep. Heat on medium-low (olive oil should not ever be very hot). 

Peel and roughly chop shallots and garlic, thinly chop celery. Toss into oil along with crushed pepper and generous amounts of oregano and basil. Cook through until shallots and garlic are soft (not carmelized). 

Add chopped tomatoes and pile in the spinach leaves. Once spinach is cooked down about halfway to make a little room in the pan, add squids and generous splashes of white wine. Salt and pepper to taste, and cover. 

Turn heat up to medium and stew for about 8 minutes, until squid is tender. Keep an eye on it at this point, as it's easy to overcook calamari and get rubber bands; you want them just to the point where the meat has poofed up a bit, and the outside yields to a fork. 

Remove from heat, squeeze in juice of half a lemon, and voila! Serve with the remainder of the white wine, a little bread for the broth, and slices of remaining lemon half.

Cajun Stew

Hot, spicy, and satisfying! Perfect for cold winter nights!

Ingredients: 

4 1/2 cups of water 

2 Tbsp butter 

2 Boxes of "Casbah" brand Spanish Rice mix 

1 lb cooked Andouille sausage (or spicy Italian sausage), cut into bite sized pieces 

1/2 lb Peeled and de-veined shrimp 

1 Yellow bell pepper, cut into strips 

4 Stalks of celery, cut into bite sized pieces 

1/2 White onion, cut into small slices 

1/2 Lemon (seeds removed, but lemon not squeezed) 

1 Large tomato, cut into bite sized pieces 

6 Green onions, chopped into 2 cm slices 

 2 Habanero peppers, cross-split, but still whole (keep seeds) 

1 Clove garlic, smashed 

2 Tbsp M & B Spices "Cajun Spice Blend" 

 2 Tbsp black pepper 

2 Tbsp sea salt

Directions 

1) Season shrimp, Andouille and veggies with salt and pepper. 

2) Bring water and butter to a boil in a large stew pot. 

3) Add rice, seasoning, and Cajun mix, and cook for 5 minutes. 

4) Reduce to a slow simmering boil and add all other ingredients, placing lemon in last. 

5) Cook until rice is tender, and shrimp are done. Stir occasionally to mix. 

Dish with large, wide strainer spoon into a bowl, and serve with thick, buttered bread and white wine!