Kathara Deftera or otherwise known as Pure/Ash Monday is the day when the great lent begins for the Greek Orthodox and other Eastern Orthodox Christians. Although I do not consider myself to be religious anymore, I have always had a love for this day, simply for all the amazing food being served. This day marks the start of the 40 day fasting period before Easter and so the most common dishes one will find on the table are: seafood, salads, olives, vegetables, taramosalata, lagana (a traditional greek flatbread) and a lot more. Since I was not able to join my family back in Greece I decided to make a few of my favourites, staring the calamarakia (fried squid rings).
A little bit of everything:
-calamari
-homemade lagana
-olives
-roasted peppers
-cucumber
-radishes
-tyrokafteri
-hummus
for the calamari:
-fresh or frozen squid tubes
-salt/pepper
-sugar
-flour
-corn flour
-lemons
-parsley
-paprika
The process of making the calamari is very simple. Wash the squid tubes very well and chop them into rings. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sugar (sugar will help with the crispy caramelised texture), mix everything together and let them absorb the seasonings by setting them in the fridge for about an hour.
Next mix the flour, the corn flour and some salt in a big bowl, throw the squid rings in there and mix until they are all equally covered with the dry ingredients. Fry them in sizzling oil until golden brown but be careful you don't over do it otherwise they will end up being very chewy.
Serve with some parsley and paprika for extra colour and don't forget to squeeze some lemon juice before enjoying.
