Calamari and Basil Aioli with Greek Rice

Being the fantastic friend that she is, T gave me a deep-fryer for Christmas. I was eager to give it a try, and figured I should start off with something basic just to get a feel for it. At the same time I wanted to do something more challenging than the basic french fries, which was my first thought. We ended up on calamari. I bought the squid whole (but not so whole that it came with all the gross bits I'd have to clean out, I'm not ready to take that step), and cut the rings myself. Here's the delicious results:

Fresh out of the oil!

  Served with a fresh and garlicy basil aioli sauce for dipping instead of the regular tzaziki.

It came out light and crispy and the aioli was a perfect match. Also served as a side was a helping of my Greek rice that is pretty much the base for all of my Greek meals.

Recipes for Calamari batter and Basil Aioli came from Canadian Living website (click on them for links).

Greek Rice:

• 1.5 cups rice
• 3 cups chicken broth or water
• Butter
• 2 ribs of celery, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Fresh mint, finely chopped
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Lemon juice
• Salt & Pepper 

1. In a large pan (that has a lid), melt butter
2. Add rice, coat in butter, and brown for 2-3 minutes
3. Add lemon juice and chicken broth
4. Boil and then bring down to a simmer, let rice cook for ~20 minutes until ready. Put to low heat.
5. Add in the celery, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, and salt & pepper. Stir in and let cook for a few minutes more.

Next time I post will probably be food-porn pictures our adventures with the new dehydrator we also got for Christmas. Beef jerky smells are filling the room as I type this.

Opa!
-B