Stuff It: Calamari Ripieni – By Anthony Davies

The very ordinary fishing I’ve been experiencing over the this summer’s endless Wet has had me re-investigating some of my fallback “eat the bait” recipes. This traditional Italian recipe is easier than it looks and is a great way to introduce kids and other fussy eaters to calamari’s culinary charms.

Ingredients

Half a dozen small (30cm) squid, skinned and cleaned leaving the tubes intact, reserve the wings and tentacles.

Half a dozen small sharp bamboo sate skewers.

Half a cup of breadcrumbs.

1/2 cup parmesan cheese.

1/2 cup dry white wine.

1 egg, beaten.

Handful of parsley, finely chopped.

Couple of sprigs of rosemary.

1 small bottle passata (400g) or 1 x 425g can of crushed tomatoes.

4 garlic cloves, minced.

Olive oil for cooking, salt and pepper to taste.

Method

Finely chop the squid wings and tentacles. In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped squid bits with  the breadcrumbs, parsley and parmesan cheese. Add beaten egg a bit at a time until the texture is just right to stuff into the squid tubes, about like toothpaste or wet clay.

Cut the pointy ends of the sate sticks down to about 50mm, about a centimetre wider than the squid tubes. Traditionally the tubes are sewn closed, but I have a short cut!

Stuff a tube with the filling, taking care to get it into the pointy end. A chopstick helps here. When the tube is almost full, close the open end with a skewer, threading the point through the flesh 2 or 3 times. You will have a bit of stuffing left over, there’s a use for that later.

Cut the cooked tubes into 5mm slices for presentation.

Heat a generous dash of olive oil to medium in a large saucepan. Add the stuffed squid tubes and fry until just coloured, turning once. Toward the end of cooking, add the minced garlic and saute with the squid until just coloured. The tubes will shrink and a little of the stuffing will ooze out, leave this in the pan, but don’t let it burn.

Once the squid and garlic has coloured add the wine, rosemary, canned tomatoes or passata, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squid is tender. At this point add the leftover stuffing mix to thicken the sauce and add flavour. After everything is cooked, uncover and add salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is still too liquid, simmer for a few minutes more to reduce, if too thick add a little more wine or water.

Remove the skewers and cut the tubes into 5mm slices for presentation. Serve with Pasta or toasted crusty bread, buon apetito!