A Stuffed Squid Recipe
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Introduction
The ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need one medium sized squid tube per person.. The squid tube must be gutted and cleaned . Alternatively, you can use a very large squid and serve portions of the squid instead of a whole squid.
The accompanying photo shows squid that I gutted and cleaned. I don't enjoy cleaning squid but I do get a perverse sense of satisfaction when I have completed the task. In Australia, fishmongers sell gutted and cleaned squid tubes. If cleaning the squid, keep the tentacles as these are used in the stuffing. If you are buying cleaned squids, ask the fishmonger for the tentacles or buy an extra squid tube for the stuffing.
For the stuffing:
* squid tentacles;
* onion (finely diced);
* olive oil for sautéing (but if you do not like olive oil, the oil that you ordinarily use for frying will be fine);
* white wine;
* breadcrumbs;
* Parmesan cheese;
* parsley;
* one beaten egg;
* salt to taste; and
* pepper to taste.
For the tomato sauce:
* some of the onion and dced squid tentacle mixture;
* salt to taste;
* pepper to taste;
* parsley and other herbs.
Why squid and not calamari?
My mother's answer, of course, led me to Wikipedia and some other websites to discover the difference between a squid and a calamari. In simple terms. "squid" covers all cephalopoda and "calamari" is a sub-species of squid distinguished from other sub-species by the longer wings )that is, wings that start further up the body than the wings of other members of the squid family). Also, "calamari" tends to be the name used in restaurants and cafes for cooked squid and calamari dishes.
The method - part 1
The stuffing is a combination of cooked and raw ingredients so the first step in this recipe is to cook some of the components of the stuffing.. The reason for this is to ensure that the stuffing and squid tubes are cooked at the same time in the finished dish.First dice the onion finely and then mince the squid tentacles or chop the tentacles into small pieces (approximately 0.5 cm cubes). I prefer squid tentacles in small pieces rather than minced.
Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan and then sauté the onion and chopped squid tentacles together. Cook the onions and squid tentacles for between 5 minutes and 10 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent and the squid pieces are opaque. At this point the squid pieces are cooked. Add a little white wine and cook until the wine is reduced.
Half the mixture is used in the stuffing and half the mixture is used in the squid and tomato sauce. However, the quantities used in the stuffing and sauce can be varied. In fact I sometimes make a plain tomato sauce and freeze any leftover onion and squid tentacle mixture or stuffing.
Let the mixture that you will use in the stuffing cool to room temperature - this is important as the egg should not cook when it is added to the onion and squid mixture. The accompanying photo shows diced onion and squid tentacles in white wine.
The method - part 2
The next part of this recipe is the tomato and squid sauce (or plain tomato sauce if you prefer).This is very simple - just add one can of tomatoes to the onion and squid mixture you have reserved for the sauce and cook the sauce until the tomatoes are mushy enough to smash with a fork . l like to use whole canned tomatoes but diced tomatoes are fine and, if tomatoes are in season and you have time, a sauce made from fresh tomatoes is just the best. l like a thick sauce as shown in the accompanying photo. When you are happy with the consistency of your sauce, add some fresh parley or other herbs.
The method - part 3
By the time you have made the tomato sauce, the onion and squid tentacle mixture should have cooled and you can move on to the third step - which is to finish making the stuffing.
After the mixture has cooled, combine the mixture with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, beaten egg and salt and pepper. As the case with all of my mother's recipes, there are no precise measurements. The aim is to end up with a mixture which is combined and malleable enough to be pushed into the squid tubes. The mixture should not be crumbly or runny. The photo shows the consistency with which I was happy last time I made this recipe.
The method - part 4
The fourth step in this recipe is stuffing the squid tubes.Pat the squid tubes dry with a paper towel. Then season the inside of the tubes with salt and pepper. (Make sure that you do not over-season the tubes as you have already seasoned the stuffing and you will season the outside of the tubes after you have finished stuffing them.)
The squid tubes can be quite slippery so I find that the best way to hold the tubes when stuffing is to hold them with a paper towel so that I get some grip. I then use a spoon or fork to put the stuffing in the tube. Do not pack the stuffing in tightly as it will expand during cooking. Also make sure that you leave enough room at the end of the tube to allow you to seal the tube and you will also need to take into account that the stuffing swells during cooking. The accompanying photo shows a tube I have stuffed (rather inelegantly) before I have sealed the tube.
There are a number of ways of sealing the tube. My mother, being a perfectionist, always sews the ends shut using kitchen twine and a carpet needle. I, on the other hand, being less of a perfectionist, make a slip knot in a piece of kitchen twine and then put the loop over the end of the tube and then pull the rope so that the opening is closed. The photo below shows squid tubes that I have stuffed and sealed using my method. My method can result in some leakage of stuffing during the cooking process.
Season the stuffed squid tubes with salt and pepper.
Stuffed squid tubes waiting to be cooked
The method - part 5
After you have stuffed the squid, place them in the sauce mixture and cook in a covered saucepan until the squid are tender which can be tested by pricking the squid with a skewer - if the skewer enters the squid easily, it is cooked. You can cook them either on a low heat on the hot plate or in a moderate oven. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the squid. The steam from the sauce should be sufficient liquid to cook the squid evenly but you may need to add some extra liquid (either water or more tomatoes) as was the case with the squid shown in the accompanying photo - I added some extra tinned tomato. You can also see in the photo that the stuffed squid tubes have swollen during cooking. Here is the finished dish - stuffed squid in a tomato and squid sauce garnished with parsley
My favourite Italian cook books
Will you give this recipe a try?
Your comments are very welcome!
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tomholte
May 27, 2012 @ 11:44 pm | delete
- This was a completed recipes for cooking squid with some mixed in there.
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Michey May 8, 2012 @ 7:02 pm | delete
- Wow! this is a laborious recipe, I like your lens and I featured yours in my squid-fun-and-knowledge lens I just published.
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COUNTRYLUTHIER
Dec 24, 2011 @ 8:28 pm | delete
- Try it I vote yes, cook it, the jury is still out on that one! Merry Christmas!~
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Beadsnresin
Nov 12, 2011 @ 5:26 pm | delete
- YUM, reminds me of my mum's stuffed squid that my dad catches LOL. I am hungry, bad idea to come visit this lens, I am REALLY hungry now. lol
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ajgodinho Sep 5, 2011 @ 12:26 pm | delete
- I haven't had stuffed squids in a long time, but my mom makes the best spicy stuffed squids. They are definitely yummy and you got me craving for them now :) Thanks for sharing your recipes. **Blessed by a Squid-Angel**
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