Hockey Night Fever With Fried Calamari

While I’m waiting in vain to have my little baby, hockey fever in Montreal is full on. I’m personally a Habs fan (Montreal Canadians, for those who don’t know the term) and despise the Boston Bruins… No offense to anybody who is. Tonight is the 7^th game, which means either winning team will go on to the next round.

Now, here’s my little secret. As much as I love hockey, when it starts to be nice outside, there isn’t any point in watching a hockey game every 2 nights. I’d much rather go out and enjoy drinks on a nice terrace. Still, right now, I’m really hoping my team will go on to the next round. Not only because it would be absolutely great, but also because I know that in the next few weeks, I will not be going out to have drinks on a terrace… but will be staying very quietly at home, taking care of the newborn. With the Montreal Canadians on TV, I know I’m guaranteed to have a few good nights of TV a week. Otherwise I can easily get bored, not being a big TV fan.

Anyways, hockey night fever is always fun in our house. And it’s also a good challenge for me in terms of food since we almost always have our diner in front of the TV. Tonight will be no exception and I’m ready to serve some good stuff to anyone who’ll be watching the game with us. Junk food it will be… but good junk food! I’m going to make some nice fried calamari, which I looooove! They’re quite easy to make and only take a big 2 minutes to cook. Their only flaw: they can stink up your house if you don’t have a good fryer! So make sure the air is circulating well in your kitchen, and get your hands dirty with this amazing party food!

FRIED CALAMARI

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1-pound calamari

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

Salt & freshly ground pepper

3 eggs

PREPARATION

In a deep fryer, preheat the oil at 350˚F.

In a bowl, blend together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.

Rinse and pat the calamari dry. Cut the bodies into 1-cm thick rings. Dip the calamari rings in the eggs. Toss lightly, a few pieces at a time, in the flour mix. Shake off any excess.

Fry the calamari for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Note: You can serve the calamari with a simple tartar sauce or make a nice aioli mayonnaise with smoke paprika.