Stuffed Squid (Stuffed Calamari)

Squid shrinks considerably in the 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.) Buying cleaned squid costs a few extra pennies, but saves a messy and tedious job.

• 10 squid as noted above
• 5 large Sicilian green olives
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated parmigiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated romano cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (16 ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped

METHOD

Clean squid if not purchased clean. Finely chop tentacles and set aside. Pit olives and slice into thin slivers. Set aside.

Sauté onions in the butter. When onions begin to soften, add finely minced garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Let cool .

Mix together bread crumbs, cheeses, chopped tentacles and olives. Add cooled onion/garlic combination.

Break up egg with a fork, and mix lightly into bread mixture. Stuff calamari half full with the mixture. Do not overfill. The stuffing will swell as it cooks, and will fill the calamari completely. Close open end with a toothpick.

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Brown squid on both sides over medium/ high heat. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serves 4 - 6.

If there is a lot of liquid in the can of tomatoes, pour some off, reserving for another use. The squid gives up liquid and the sauce will be watery if the canned tomatoes are too liquid.

recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributor: Annie Mansueto for Antoinette DeRobertis

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