Servings: 2
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook, Marcella Hazan, p. 232
recipeNotes: Menu Suggestions
If you wish to serve a vegetable side dish with the squid, the most suitable would be steamed potatoes. It is quite sufficient, however, to serve Zucchini Salad (page 415) or mixed greens afterwards. It can be preceded by Fettuccine with White Clam Sauce (page 135), or Risotto with Clams (page 192). 1 have found that Bresaola (page 47), with its tart, clean taste, makes an ideal prelude to this rather robust dish.
Calamari ripieni stufati al vino bianco
Ingredients
6 large squid (the sac should measure 4½ to 5 inches, not including the tentacles)
The stuffing:
1 tablespoon olive oil, approximately
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, or more to taste
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
2½ tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the pepper mill
The braising liquid:
Olive oil, enough to come ¼ inch up the side of the skillet
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup canned Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
¼ cup dry white wine
Directions
Clean and prepare the squid as directed on page 230.
Chop the squid tentacles very fine. In a bowl, mix them with all the stuffing ingredients until you have a smooth, even mixture. There should be just enough olive oil in the mixture to make it slightly glossy. If it doesn’t have this light surface gloss, add more olive oil.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal parts and spoon it into the squid sacs. (Do not overstuff, because the squid shrinks as it cooks and too much stuffing may cause it to burst.) (Sew up each opening tightly with darning needle and thread-and be sure to put the needle safely away as soon as you are finished using it or it may disappear into the sauce.) Previous is not necessary. Just don’t overstuff, so that the extra can squeeze out the top.
Choose a skillet large enough to hold the squid in a single layer and coat the bottom with just enough olive oil to come ¼ inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic cloves until golden brown. Discard the garlic and put in the stuffed squid. Brown the squid well on all sides, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the chopped garlic, and the wine. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. The squid is done when it feels tender at the pricking of a fork.
Remove the squid to a cutting board and allow to settle for a few minutes. Slice away just enough from the sewn-up end to remove the thread and cut the rest into slices ½ inch thick. Arrange the slices on a warm serving platter so that each squid sac is recomposed. Warm up the sauce in the skillet, pour over the sliced squid, and serve immediately.
Note
This dish can be prepared 4 or 5 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Warm it up as follows: Preheat the oven to 300°. Transfer the squid and the sauce to a bake-and-serve dish, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, and place in the middle level of the oven. Turn and baste the slices as they warm up, being careful that they don’t break up. Serve when warm.
If you have extra stuffing, which is likely, dredge in breadcrumbs, form into burgers, and saute in olive oil. Serve as left overs with above sauce if there is extra.