Stuffed Calamari

Stuffed Calamari

This is an exquisite recipe I got from a good friend of mine.  You should try it out.  Especially now with summer being around the corner, there is nothing better than this typical Mediterranean dish.

For the calamari

4 medium calamari

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

50g  uncooked Arborio rice

½ tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves

½ tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves

200g  chorizo, finely chopped

¼ tsp fennel seeds

125g pork mince

2 tsp paprika
handful of mixed seafood

pinch cayenne pepper

½ lemon, juice only

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

500g tomato juice

200ml/7fl oz fish stock

2 bay leaves

7 tbsp dry sherry

1 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

finely chopped parsley leaves to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 125C, or as close to this temperature as possible.
2. For the squid, prepare the squid by pulling out the tentacles along with the innards and the quill. Trim off and discard the innards and the quill. Pull the wings off the body then rinse the body, tentacles and wings and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Set aside to cool.
4. Finely chop the tentacles and wings from the squid and put them into a mixing bowl with the cooked onion mixture and all of the remaining squid ingredients.

 

5. Mix the stuffing well - it's easiest to just use your hands - then stuff it into the cleaned squid bodies. Don't pack the stuffing in too tightly as the rice will expand quite a lot during cooking - each squid body should be about half full. Secure the open ends of the squid bodies with cocktail sticks. Any remaining stuffing can be added to the sauce.

6. For the sauce, heat a heavy-based casserole dish (large enough to fit your squid snugly side by side) over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and throw in the sliced garlic. When it's just starting to turn golden-brown, add the tomatoes, followed by the fish stock, bay leaves, lemon zest, sherry and thyme leaves. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black 

pepper.  

 

7. Carefully place the stuffed squid into the casserole, pushing them down into the sauce, then bring to a very gentle simmer.

8. Transfer the dish to the oven and cook for two hours, or until the squid is very tender. Don't worry if some of the stuffing has forced its way out, just serve it with the sauce. 

9. Serve the squid with a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Scatter with the chopped parsley, and serve a crisp green salad alongside.