12326 Basque Stuffed Squid in Its Ink Serves 4 as a main course Wed Aug 06 01:04:13 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 13:04:37 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12326 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:04:37 GMT To extract the ink from fresh squid, carefully place all the long, silvery ink sacs in a small bowl and crush with the back of a wooden spoon. Add a tablespoon of water and let stand at least one hour. The liquid will become thick and very black; strain before using. Two pounds of baby squid will supply about ½ teaspoon ink. To augment this, small packets of ink—an extract of all sorts of squid and octopus inks—are sold in some upscale fish markets or by mail order. This product should be used very sparingly, as it is considerably more potent than plain squid ink.

Another inexpensive way to achieve the distinctive color and correct taste of squid ink is to use tinned imported calamares en su tinta (squid ink). This is a good alternative if you can only buy cleaned squid. Open up two tins, spoon off the surface oil, and add the sauce and solids to the bowl with the reserved squid ink; let stand 1 hour. Strain before using.

This recipe for squid in its own ink is traditionally served with a bowl of white rice and roasted Piquillo peppers.

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  • Early in the day, prepare the squid as described in section To Clean Squid (at left): Leave the pouches whole. Chop the tentacles. Wrap separately in paper towels, place in a covered dish, refrigerate.
  • In a large, heavy skillet heat set over moderate heat, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 cup of the chopped onions, and l cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the onions are soft and golden brown, about 25 minutes.
  • Add the chopped garlic and chopped mild frying pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove half the contents of the skillet to a side dish. Add the chopped tentacles to the skillet, raise the heat to moderately high, and sauté, tossing, until all moisture has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
  • Tear the bread into a bowl. Add the milk and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Squeeze the bread to remove as much liquid as you can and crumble it into the reserved onion-pepper mixture. Add the beaten egg and blend well. Season with salt, white pepper, and piment d'Espelette. Fill the squid pouches without overstuffing and fasten the openings with toothpicks.
  • Thoroughly dry the stuffed squid pouches. In a large skillet, fry them in the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil along with the whole garlic clove over moderate heat, turning, until the squid is lightly browned all over, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the squid to a side dish and cover to keep moist.
  • Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet. Add the remaining ½ cup chopped onion, the sliced mild frying pepper, and the chopped tomatoes. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick and just beginning to fry. Stir in the Squid Stock. Cover with a sheet of crumpled wet parchment paper and a lid, and simmer for l hour.
  • With a slotted spoon, transfer the stuffed squid to a shallow serving dish, cover, and keep hot in a warm oven. Strain the sauce; return to the skillet and boil down until thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust the seasoning. Remove the toothpicks from the pouches. Pour the sauce over the squid and serve.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the squid ink extract or the contents of the can (without oil) of the canned squid, the carrot, leek, bouquet garni, and 1½ quarts water. If you have any skins or trimmings from your squid, add those as well. Bring to a boil; skimming. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain, return the liquid to the pan, and boil until reduced to 1¼ cups.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 2 pounds baby squid (about 16), cleaned and skinned, ink sacs removed and reserved

    ]]>     ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

    ]]>     1½ cups chopped onions

    ]]>     1 scant tablespoon chopped fresh garlic, plus 1 garlic clove, peeled

    ]]>     2 mild green frying peppers (see page 353): 1 finely chopped, 1 sliced

    ]]>     2-inch piece of stale Italian bread, crust removed

    ]]>     ¼ cup milk

    ]]>     1 egg, beaten

    ]]>     Salt and freshly ground white pepper

    ]]>     ¼ teaspoon ground piment d'Espelette (see Mail Order Sources, pages 415–417) or moderately hot paprika

    ]]>     2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

    ]]>     ½ cups Squid Stock (page 108)

    ]]>     4 grams squid ink extract or 2 cans (4 ounces each) squid in ink (calamares en su tinta), oil removed

    ]]>     1 carrot, sliced

    ]]>     l leek, sliced

    ]]>     Herb bouquet: 4 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs of thyme, and 1 imported bay leaf tied together with string

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