How can you make fried calamari even better?

 
The idea to add jalapeños comes from Five Napkin Burger, a wildly popular burger chain in New York City (and deservedly so). The restaurant serves the calamari with a spicy marinara sauce. Nice, but we can be even happier with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

The restaurant uses wheat flour, but we beseech you to try cornmeal. The flavor and texture are truly exciting. Pick up a sack of fine cornmeal flour and use it for everything you fry.

Fried calamari with jalapeños. Photo courtesy
Five Napkin Burger.

Ingredients

 
*If you want less heat, remove the seeds and white spine from the jalapeños.

Preparation

1. ADD three inches of oil to a large, heavy saucepan. Heat over medium to 350°F.

2. COMBINE the flour, parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, toss the squid and jalapeños in the seasoned flour to coat.

3. ADD the squid and jalapeños to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate or tray to drain.

4. SERVE with lemon wedges and optional sauce.

Like many gourmet supermarkets, ours has a large olive bar that entices us to scoop different varieties at each visit. Why not: Olives are a healthful, lower-calorie snack.

There’s a pitted spicy olive mix that we especially like to serve with drinks and toss into salads. We like the visual of different colors and sizes, but you can use whatever olives you like.

It’s also an easy-to-make gift to bring as a house gift. Here’s a recipe from Pompeian olive oil:
 
SPICY OLIVE RECIPE

Ingredients

1. COMBINE ingredients (except garnish) in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the olives with a slotted spoon and serve.

2. RESERVE the infused oil for a vinaigrette, or use it to store any leftover olives.
  

Don’t want to wear an allergy bracelet? How about a tattoo?

Food allergies affect millions of Americans. This product was developed for kids: When mom or dad can’t be with the child to monitor the food he/she eats, SafetyTat does the talking.

Easy to apply to a child’s arm or hand, this bright temporary tattoo outlines the food allergy for everyone to see.

While some kids might object to being tattooed, the clever parent can position this as “your first tattoo.” Or perhaps it’s “The only tattoo you’re going to get for the next 20 years.”

In addition to medical alert tattoos, the company also makes I.D. tats with name and contact information and tats for seniors.

You may have your own system, or simply like mesquite with everything. But McCormick has added a bit of culinary science to the process. Here the company provides recommendations for specific wood chips to pair the right intensity wood with particular proteins:

Hickory chips in a smoke box. Photo courtesy McCormick.

HOW TO TURN A GAS GRILL INTO A SMOKER

1. SOAK wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.

2. PLACE one cup of wood chips in a smoke box or a makeshift foil pouch punctured with a fork.

3. PLACE smoker box or pouch under the grate and over one of the burners, away from the center of the grill.

4. HEAT the grill on high until the wood chips start smoking. Then reduce heat to the desired temperature.

5. PLACE the food on the center of the grill, away from the smoker box or pouch.

6. COVER and grill as you normally would, refilling the smoker box or replacing the pouch as needed.
  

…AND FOR DESSERT, RAVIOLI!

Yes, ravioli. Even better, ravioli you can make yourself with the help of a great pasta-maker to teach you how. It’s not just deliciously gratifying, but it’s a good workout too. Rolling fresh pasta dough until it’s as thin as a sheet of paper is not for the “where’s-the-remote?” in you.

New York City’s renowned Chelsea Market recently nabbed a new restaurant and shop: Giovanni Rana Pastificio & Cucina.

Rana is Italy’s leading fresh pasta company, and its artisan shop offers great dining, select Italian ingredients and designer kitchen accessories. Each pasta served at the restaurant, as well as those that can be purchased to cook at home, is house-made, fresh from scratch.

Lucky for us, Giovanni Rana is generous with his expertise and will share his secrets with eager learners. In our class, we learned how to make tiramisu ravioli for dessert.

Preparing chocolate ravioli. Photo courtesy Giovanni Rana.

By the end of the session, you’ll have your own creation packed up for taking home, after which you enjoy a dinner made for you by Rana’s chefs, some wine and a take-away bag of products and recipes.

Although there may not be a Rana shop in your area, scout out a local cooking school or culinary program that’s nearby. It’s fun to do, it’s delicious to eat, and it’s made by you.

By the time your skills become second nature, you’ll be able to delight your family and friends with—yes—tiramisu ravioli as a sweet finale to dinner.

—Rowann Gilman

RECIPE: RANA’S TIRAMISU RAVIOLI

This recipe makes 14 to 16 ravioli, or about two servings. You can double the recipe, and freeze any excess for up to six months. Serve the ravioli with crème fraîche, mascarpone or ice cream.

Ingredients
 
For The Dough

 
Filling

 
For The Dipping Sauce

 
To Finish

Preparation

Make The Dough

1. PLACE the flour on a floured surface and make a well in the center. Break the egg into the well and mix it with a fork. Add the salt and instant espresso powder; blend with fingers until dough forms a rough shape.

2. BEGIN to knead and fold the dough over and over until it forms a smooth ball, about 8 to 10 minutes. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Make The Filling

1. COMBINE all of the filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.

Make The Dipping Sauce

1. PLACE the strawberries in the bowl of a food processor; blend until berries are puréed. If desired, add brown sugar and/or fresh mint to taste. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve; set aside.

Assemble The Ravioli

1. REMOVE dough from refrigerator. On a heavily floured surface, begin to roll and rotate the dough, turning it over after every few rolls. Continue until dough is perfectly even (smooth hands over dough to feel any difference in its thickness) and extremely thin.

2. FOLD the dough in half, then bring the top half upward. Starting about an inch from the halfway fold and left edge, place filling 1 teaspoonful at a time, slightly rounding each, on the bottom half of dough. Leave 1 inch between each mound of filling. When filling is used up, moisten the dough between each spoonful using a pastry brush and water. Be careful not to use too much water; use just enough for the top layer of dough to stick.

3. GENTLY LIFT the top half of dough and place it over the bottom half. Press between the mounds of filling where dough has been moistened, making sure both layers of dough stick together. Using a hand ravioli cutter, cut out the individual ravioli and place them on a floured surface, keeping them apart.

4. HEAT about 1 inch of canola oil in a heavy skillet until very hot. Fry the ravioli for about two to three minutes on each side until dough is firm. Remove from skillet and drain very well on paper towels or a brown paper bag. Let cool.

5. SERVE the ravioli sprinkled with confectioners sugar and a small bowl of the dipping sauce on the side.
 
MORE DESSERT RAVIOLI & OTHER PASTA