Classic calamari
March 8

Yesterday in the kitchen I showed the cooks our classic calamari—yes, I found graham crackers in the supermarket.  At one point during the preparation, I asked for some club soda, which, as you may know, is my trick for making the calamari light and “tempura-like”.  The Chef had not anticipated this, but immediately, and without question, sent someone off to obtain the soda water. I’m sure they were wondering what the heck it was for.  When I showed them how I soak and then cook the squid, (I did some first without the club soda for comparison), there were gasps and cries of appreciation. With apologies to Erica Jong, in this land that has no fear of frying, I felt very gratified by this small victory!