Stuffed Calamari Braised With Fresh Peas Food

SQUID WITH PEAS | CALAMARI CON PISELLI

Steps:

• Once you have cleaned thesquid, cut them into rings or pieces and set aside.
• n a fairly large skillet, heat the oil with two peeled garlic cloves. After about two minutes, add the thinly chopped onion. Sauté over low heat until the onion is soft and translucent.
• Add the squid. Cook along with the onion and garlic to flavor them, for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you're using fresh peas like we did, add them now. If you're using frozen or canned peas, however, add them 10 minutes before the end of cooking time. Now add the white wine, stir and let it evaporate. Finally, remove the garlic cloves and add the hot chilli pepper (optional).
• Add the tomato passata and mix all well. Add a little fine salt to taste and a little freshly ground black pepper. Stir and lower the heat. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 30 minutes until the squid is tender.
• After about 30 minutes, the squid with peas are ready. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving.

STUFFED BRAISED SQUID

Steps:

• Place half the capers in a bowl with the breadcrumbs, egg, 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoons of water. Finely grate in the pecorino, peel the garlic, finely chop with the parsley (stalks and all), then scrunch it all together.
• Peel and finely slice the onion and place in a casserole pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil, stirring occasionally. Now, a great nonna trick: squeeze the tomatoes while submerged in a bowl of water to remove the seeds (and prevent them going everywhere!). Add the tomatoes to the pan with the passata. Simmer on a low heat while you stuff the squid.
• Keeping the tentacles to one side, just over half-fill each squid tube with the breadcrumb mixture, pushing it right down into the tube but being mindful not to pack it too tightly. Use a cocktail stick or toothpick to seal or, like Franchina learnt from her grandparents, use a needle and thread. Stir the remaining capers into the sauce, then add the stuffed squid and tentacles. Simmer on a low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Use tongs to move the squid pieces to a board. Removing the sticks or thread, slice the tubes to reveal the filling, then arrange on a platter, spoon over a little sauce and pick over the basil. Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water, then toss with the remaining sauce, loosening with a splash of cooking water, if needed. Serve with a grating of pecorino, alongside that tasty braised squid.

STUFFED CALAMARI

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the taralli until it forms coarse crumbs. Measure 1 1/4 cups of the crumbs. Pulse the squid tentacles in the food processor to chop them fine, and pat them very dry with paper towels.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering, add the squid tentacles, and spread them out. Sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then add the butter, garlic and red-pepper flakes to taste. Cook, stirring, until the garlic just starts to color, about 1 minute.
• Add the shrimp, season with salt and cook until just pink, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, and stir in the taralli crumbs and lemon zest. The crumbs should look like wet, clumpy sand. If the mixture is too dry, sprinkle in a little more wine, and allow the filling to cool until just warm.
• Stuff each squid body with the filling, leaving the bottom and top inches unfilled (the stuffing will expand as it cooks). Secure the tops with toothpicks, and season all over with salt.
• Make the sauce: In a wide, deep pan, warm 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add red-pepper flakes to taste and the garlic, and cook until fragrant and just beginning to color. Stir in the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring the tomatoes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Add the calamari and any extra stuffing, and bring back to a very gentle simmer.
• Cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to make sure the sauce maintains a lazy bubble. Adjust with salt to taste. Garnish with the parsley. Serve with bread or pasta.

STUFFED SQUID SICILIAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Blanch the chard in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and cool under running water. Squeeze chard completely dry and finely chop. Set aside.
• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or wide saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Add fennel fronds, fennel seed, anchovy, garlic, oregano and red pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes more.
• Turn off heat and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Add pine nuts, lemon zest, bread crumbs, cheese and reserved cooked chard. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Taste and correct seasoning.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a teaspoon, put some filling in each squid body, taking care not to overstuff. Place stuffed squid in an earthenware baking dish in one layer. Season squid on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season tentacles with salt and pepper and arrange them around the edge of dish (alternatively, arrange tentacles in a separate baking dish). Drizzle tentacles lightly with oil. Spoon any remaining stuffing over tentacles.
• Roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until squid bodies are puffed, sizzling and lightly browned. If desired, run pan under the broiler for more color. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. (May also be served at room temperature.) Serve each person 3 or 4 squid, with tentacles.

STUFFED CALAMARI, SICILIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Clean the 12 large squid tubes; remove skin and cartilage inside the squid and rinse and clean. In a large pan saute onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft. In a large bowl, combine the Sauteed onions, 1/2 cup of olive oil, garlic, 1 cup pecorino, 1/2 cup parsley, and the bread crumbs and mix well. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of oil to make the bread crumbs soft. Add the raisins last. Fill the squid tubes with the mixture and secure with a toothpick at the top opening. Lay the tubes in a baking pan with a little oil in the bottom of the pan, and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from oven and top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of pecorino and an additional 1/4 cup of parsley. Put pan back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a large frying pan, mix crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes and set aside.

BRAISED CALAMARI STUFFED WITH SHRIMP, SPINACH AND HERBS

Steps:

• To make the calamari:
• Roughly chop 3 of the calamari tubes and add to a food processor with the coarsely chopped shrimp and garlic. Pulse into a coarse paste. Remove to a large bowl and add the spinach, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, herbs, and pinch of crushed red pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. The mixture should be a little chunky but moist and holding together. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini patty, cooking it in a small pan and eating it. It should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more salt, to taste. Divide the stuffing among the 8 remaining calamari bodies and secure closed with toothpicks.
• To make the sauce:
• Coat a large, wide skillet or saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Season with salt and put the saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are soft and aromatic, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill or puree them in a food processor and add them and 1 cup of water to the pan. Season with salt, to taste, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
• Add the calamari to the pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the calamari from the pan and remove the toothpicks. Reduce the sauce to thicken, if needed. Arrange the calamari on a serving platter and cover with the sauce before serving.
• Deliciouso!

STUFFED CALAMARI BRAISED WITH FRESH PEAS

Steps:

• Leave the calamari bodies whole and chop the tentacles into 1/4-inch pieces.
• To make the stuffing: Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook, shaking the pan, until golden, about 1 minute. Scatter the chopped tentacles over the oil, sprinkle the thyme over them, and season lightly with crushed red pepper and salt. Cook until the liquid given off by the tentacles is evaporated and the tentacles begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cognac, bring to a boil, and cook until it is almost completely evaporated. Stir in the bread crumbs and cook until they begin to toast, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Divide the stuffing evenly among the calamari, packing it lightly into the body cavities. An espresso spoon or small teaspoon is a good tool. (It will seem as though there is not enough stuffing, but the stuffing will expand and the calamari will shrink.) Seal the open end of the calamari with a toothpick.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slip as many of the stuffed calamari into the skillet as fit in a single layer. Cook, turning as necessary, until caramelized on both sides, about 8 minutes. Slip more calamari into the oil as those in the pan shrink. Transfer the calamari to a plate as they are done, leaving behind as much oil as possible. Stir the onion into the oil remaining in the pan and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in the peas and season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper. Lower the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender, about 20 minutes for fresh peas or 10 minutes for frozen peas.
• Return the calamari to the pan. Sprinkle the scallions over them, pour in the stock, and season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce is simmering. Simmer, uncovered, until the calamari are tender and there is barely enough liquid to moisten the peas, about 20 minutes. Drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer the calamari to warm plates or a platter and spoon the sauce and peas over and around them. Serve immediately.