Ingredients

Method

• 400 g baby calamari tubes, cleaned
• olive oil, for moistening
• 200 g baby spinach leaves
• 1 x 400 g can chickpeas,drained and rinsed
• 300 g fusilli or penne, cooked according to directions
For the dressing, combine
• 1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• a large handful of parsley, chopped
• a handful of chives, chopped
• 3 T olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

Dry the calamari tubes thoroughly then moisten with a little oil and fry in a very hot griddle pan until just starting to catch – overcooking will toughen the calamari.
Transfer the calamari to a bowl and toss in the dressing. Stir the spinach and chickpeas into the hot pasta and drain, but hold back some of the pasta water.
Spoon the dressed calamari over servings of pasta. If necessary loosen with a little more olive oil or the reserved pasta water.

Leftovers? For a pasta salad, add lots of rocket and toss with more olive oil or more of the garlicky dressing. Or add to hot fish stock and top with mayonnaise for a quick soup.

Per serving: 2484.1 kJ, 26.6 g protein, 19.6 g fat, 75 g carbs

TASTE’s take:
This is a great method of cooking the calamari – just see that the griddle pan is nice and hot.