Calamari ripieni alla Siciliana
Sicilian stuffed squid
Serves 4-6
6 medium sized squid
3 tbsp olive oil
200g bread crumbs
50g currants soaked in water
4 anchovies, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano or marjoram, chopped
1 tbsp parsley chopped
150g freshly grated pecorino
1 egg
500ml prepared tomato sauce
Salt to taste
Freshly milled black pepper to taste
Cut off the tentacles and remove any cartilage from the squid hood. Remove the spotted membrane that covers the squid hood. Rinse inside with water to be certain that it is clean. Chop the tentacles. Set aside.
In small frying pan, heat oil. Stir in bread crumbs, garlic and chopped tentacles. Cook for 5 minutes or until breadcrumbs begin to turn golden. Stir in oregano, currants, anchovies, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and cook for 3 more minutes, just to wilt the parsley. When cooked, remove from heat and stir in cheese. Scrape filling into a small bowl. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer.
Stuff squid with filling and close each end with a toothpick. Return to pan, spooning sauce over the squid. Cook for 4 minutes on each side.
Chef’s note:
Squid shrinks considerably during cooking. It is important to buy ones that are uniform in size. The body should be no smaller than four inches and no larger than six inches (do not include the tentacles in this measurement).