When you´re away from home, although now we seem to have two homes (and how very lucky and blessed we are to be in this position) there are things that you miss. Of course, the most obvious is loved ones, but with technology, keeping in touch, even face to face phone calls and cheap flights make the distance shorter.
Other things like a special pillow, or a favourite garment which was left behind sometimes make you feel nostalgic. For me though it’s all about the kitchens. If I could combine the contents of both kitchens and magically transport them with me backwards and forwards….but well, that’s just silly. Although I can look up favourite and remembered recipes on the internet, it’s not quite the same as flicking through a well loved cookery book, often late at night propped up in bed with that comfy old pillow.
Getting back to Spain allowed me to become reacquainted with some old ‘friends’. Most recently it has been Moro, the Cookbook by the husband and wife team, Sam and Sam Clark. Must get confusing in their house when someone rings up.
The first recipe for the moment was inspired by one of theirs for stuffed squid – of course, I made a few changes based on what I had available, here’s my version. This is a fabulous dish for entertaining (although easy to prepare for an everyday meal) as you can prepare it ahead up until the final griddling of the squid, which only takes about 5 minutes.
To serve four as a main course
- 8 medium squid (no larger than about 30cm) I used to enormous ones to serve 2. These should be cleaned and the tentacles and wings separated from the body
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large Spanish onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I crushed)
- ½ red pepper finely diced (not in the original recipe)
- 2 fresh bay leaves (or use dried)
- 200ml fino sherry (or a dry white wine)
- 1 large buch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon of hot pimentón (not in original recipe)
- Salt and Pepper
- Finely chop the squid wings and tentacles (I kept the tentacles whole and cooked them on the side).
Gently fry the onions and peppers (if using) for about 15 minutes until soft and the onion is starting to turn brown. Add the bay, garlic and chopped squid and cook for about 3 minutes then add the seasoning, half the parsley and the fino. Cook for a further couple of minutes until the wine has almost evaporated then remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the chopped egg and most of the rest of the parsley, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Use this mixture to stuff the squid, securing with a cocktail stick to keep the filling in. When you are ready to eat, heat a griddle pan until it is smoking hot and cook the squid for about 5 minutes, turning to ensure that it is charred all round.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a piece of lemon and the rest of the parsley sprinkled over.
Chica Andaluza 
I did laugh at the fact their names are Sam and Sam, it brings back memories. My dad’s name was Joe and my mums’s name is Joe, people used to have to refer to them as Joe and Mr. Joe when they rang! Great post, my mouth is watering! Will have to try this one out! Have a great day. Giana.
How funny! Here in Spain it’s also common to give children the same names as those of their parents…all very confusing 😉
I’ve never tried squid. I assume I could get it at the local fishmonger. I’ll have to wander down and ask. It looks like something I’d enjoy. Don’t know about hubby though. I was bought up fishing in the sea. He was on a farm with trout and eels in the local river.
We eat it a lot here, it’s not too expensive. But some folk just don’t like the texture L
Your colorful dish would be a big hit with my husband. His mother used to serve stuffed calamares at Christmas.
Ooh I can imagine that Christmas meal being something special!
Absolutely wonderful. Squid is such a good thing and is plentiful here, yet I so rarely remember to buy it. Moro is one of my three favourite London restaurants and I love their book. Nice post.
And know I want to know what the other two favourite restaurants are….?!
Not something I would have thought of cooking for myself – but that looks very tasty and not difficult so I may try. I really enjoy battered squid rings which The Management always refers to as ‘rubber bands’.
Hee hee – some people just don’t get on so well with the texture but as the squid is cooked very quickly at high temperature it’s usually lovely and tender!
Awesome recipe, thanks for sharing, will be beyond my abilities to make this, but I have a friend who can and perhaps we can enjoy then. Amazing !
Hope your pal makes it for you!
One word….YUM
😉
I’ve heard of this, but have never tried it. I’ll have to keep an eye out. Can’t wait to get back to Spain in May!
Ooh you’ll have to eat plenty of squid ad pulpo and cuttlefish when you’re over!
Delicious – I’ve stuffed them and cooked them in the oven, in sauce before, but not stuffed and girdled 🙂
The original recipe sort of braises them in a covered frying pan – these were so good!
Now *this* makes me happy – anyone can stuff a pepper! Mmmm squid!
Very true!
Wow, what a great recipe. I made a version of these in a Basque cooking class that I took last year and it really took some effort, but was so worth it! Yum!
That must have been such a fun class!
Oh, love the flavors going on in this stuffed squid….boiled eggs, pimenton, sherry! And you make it all look so simple:)
It was one of those dishes that looks complicated but is really quite simple to do!
Absolutely terrific recipe for a squid- and cuttlefish lover like me!! Oh, I’ll make this just for me ~ not difficult and fun and can’t wait to try 🙂 !
Ooh cuttlefish – now you’re talking!
I have never made stuffed squid before! Time I give it a go. My pillow travels with me everywhere 🙂
I rarely stuff the squid, I just griddle it but this was so good I’ll be making it again!
Another calamare winner. I could just eat some right now – even though it’s breakfast time! 🙂
Well, we eat kedgeree for breakfast (ok, not so often, but it is done!) so this would work too!
Cheap flights – sadly we don’t have anything such here anymore.
Hmm, reckon I could eat what you made for two all my my piggy self.
Have a super day Tanya.,
🙂 Mandy xo
Even the cheap flights here are not so cheap anymore L Have a great day too Mandy!
Stuffed calamari is Zia’s specialty, one that we all hope she’ll serve when we visit. I increase my odds by bringing her some squid when I visit. 🙂
I love the sound of this stuffing, Tanya. The chopped egg is a surprise but, even so, the colors are fantastic and I bet the flavors are tasty. The way they’re plated, they look like mini-cornucopia. Fitting because that stuffing is wonderful mix of ingredients.
Wish I could send Zia some squid for her to stuff and for us all to enjoy them together! The egg worked really well in there but now I am curious to experiment a bit more with different stuffings.
I used to know a man and woman who were married and both were named Tracy. Phones calls were a bit rough in the beginning 🙂
This looks superb. Seriously.
Isn’t it funny – I wonder how strange it must be too having to call your partner by your “own” name! Especially when you’re having a row 😉
Although I won’t be partaking of that bouncy bonanza it looks incredibly beautiful and would indeed be something gorgeous to produce with a flourish to waiting guests 🙂
Bet you could do a vegan version with some lovely long pointy peppers!
I bet I could too but they wouldn’t have that delicious rubber band “PING” that the squid has 😉
No 😦 You’d have to make the noise and wrap your peppers in cling film which you would then have to eat to replicate the experience 😉
Great idea! And then I could eat them twice as thanks to the elasticity of cling film, some of them would “ping” back up the old alimentary canal! 😉
Nearly choked on my morning coffee reading this!
I nearly choked on my pepper “squid”! Take 2…might have to use something a little more “organic” 😉
Yum! The only other version we have had of this was in Korea and there it was served cold and kinda odd…looking forward to trying this one out!
Oh dear – cold squid isn’t so good L
amazing recipe! thank’s for sharingggg :)))))
I think it looks interesting and tasty 😀