Chef Artur Lazimi brings 28 years of Italian culinary experience to Il Pomod’Oro. He studied culinary arts at the Scuola Albergiera in Rimini, Italy. Chef Artur speaks only Italian but he tells us through an interpreter, “Food is everything we are. It’s an ethnic feeling. It’s your personal history, your region, your grandma.” He says working as a chef has been a lifelong passion and he greatly enjoys cooking Mediterranean and Italian cuisine.

Il Pomod’Oro, 117 Boston Post Road, East Lyme, 860-739-6234

CALAMARI ANTIPASTO

Ingredients

5 tubes of Calamari

5 oz. spinach

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 white onion, diced

6 Kalamata olives, halved

1 slice of pepperoni, diced

1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoon oz extra virgin olive oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

3 oz. cream

Pinch of parsley

Salt

Pepper

Directions

1. Cut each calamari in 3 pieces.

2. Grill calamari in olive oil for 90 seconds each side.

3. Prepare pepper, oil and garlic in another pan.

4. Add grilled calamari to oiled pan with a squeeze of lemon and a sprig of parsley on top.

5. Prepare spinach with butter, salt and pepper.

6. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.

7. Prepare tomatoes in another pan with onion salt, pepper and olives.

8. Place all ingredients onto the serving dish: calamari, cherry tomatoes and the accompanying sauces on top of spinach.