Sunday Flavors

STUFFED SQUID
OVER TOMATO SAUCE

This is another pragmatic example of the immensity of recipes you can prepare with my favorite four ingredients: olive oil, onion, garlic and tomato.
Once more from the Mediterranean diet, stuffed squid is a common recipe to Portuguese, Spanish, Italian or Greek cuisines, very easy to find if you travel around these countries.
My mother-in-law gave this recipe to my wife and now I have the pleasure to taste this amazing combination of flavors from time to time. Actually, about stuffed squid is always my wife who cooks it, only with a small help from me. I can’t do it better and besides, food tastes better when someone cooks for you…

YOU WILL NEED (serves 4):
1,2 kg / 2 lb and 10 ¼ oz of medium size squid;
200 ml / 7 ¼ fl oz extra virgin olive oil;
2 medium yellow onions, diced;
4 garlic cloves, sliced;
2 bay leaves;
600 gr / 1 lb and 5 ¼ oz of fresh ripe skinless tomatoes, diced;
2 tablespoons of tomato paste;
2 teaspoons of paprika;
1 teaspoon of oregano;
200 ml / 7 ¼ fl oz of white wine;
200 gr / 7 ¼ oz of skinless chorizo, chopped;
Sea salt
1 handful of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped;

METHOD:

Wash squid carefully, removing tentacles and guts. Don’t remove the wings. Pat dry and reserve;
Chop squid tentacles plus one or two tubes if you think tentacles are not enough for the stuffing;
In a saucepan, heat olive oil and add, by this order, onion, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, tomato, tomato paste, white wine and oregano (use only half of the mentioned ingredient portions. The other half is for the sauce). Let it cook for around 15 minutes on medium to low heat;
Add squid tentacles and chopped chorizo. Leave it to cook for 10 minutes more, to thicken this stuffing;
Season with sea salt;
Add chopped parsley, saving a little to the sauce, if you like. Stir gently and cut the heat;
With the help of a spoon, stuff squid tubes very well and close it with some toothpicks;
In another saucepan, heat olive oil and add, by this order, the remaining onion, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, tomato, tomato paste, white wine and oregano (you can add to this sauce some chili or pepper if you like). Let it cook for around 5 minutes on medium to low heat;
Place the stuffed squid tubes over this sauce allowing it to absorb the flavors. Cover with a lid;
Turn the heat very low and let it cook for around 30 minutes, shaking the saucepan gently a couple of times, to avoid catching on the bottom.
Check the seasoning, adding a pinch more of salt if necessary;
Add some more chopped parsley if you like;
Serve with baby potatoes boiled in water with salt and peeled after that.