Post by skywaypa on Nov 12, 2017 13:30:09 GMT -5
Posting this due to encouragement from a squid catching thread. This prep comes from my very Italian grandma, and I've never seen it done quite the same.
Ingredient list is more of a "about this much" vs "cups and tablespoons" sort of thing. But I've only ever eyeballed it. Sorry.
You need: 5-10lbs of squid tubes, italian bread crumbs, canned mushrooms, one large onion, two eggs, salt/pepper/garlic, milk or half and half, several large jars of spaghetti sauce
Stuffing: (combine in a large bowl)
- 3 or 4 cups of italiam bread crumbs
- 3 or 4 cans of mushrooms (stems and pieces are cheap and fine) food processed to oblivion
- dice the onion as fine as you can (or food process, but this will make the flavor very "oniony")
- eggs
- spices
Combine all this into a paste-like consistency. Use a splash or two of milk/half n half to get it wet enough, shouldn't be crumbly.
Squid:
You want cleaned (and skinned) tubes. We used to turn them inside out to make sure there were no bits left inside, but today's cleaned squid is pretty damn clean. If you have fat fingers like me turning them inside out is nearly impossible. Anyway, once they are cleaned (and turned back right side in) toss them in a big pot of salted boiling water. Cook them for 5 minutes or so. They will shrink and turn white. Drain and cool off with cold water so you can handle them.
Stuffing the squid:
This part isn't much fun. Sometimes the tubes are big and you can use your hand or a spoon. Sometimes they are small and we've used a pastry bag situation to stuff them. However you need to get it done, stuff them just shy of full.
Cooking:
Can be done in a big pot, but we've always preferred a crock. These are going to simmer for at least 3 or 4 hours, and who wants to watch a pot that long. So into your crock add a couple jars of sauce. We like Ragu traditional because it is a good base flavor without a lot else going on, but whatever you like will work. Thin it with water and wine (always add wine to red sauce!) and add the stuffed squid. Run it on high for an hour or two and once it is good and hot low for another two hours. Eat it hot or cold, with pasta or not!
If you try this please let me know! Bit of work but man is it good. You'll notice that I'm not shy about cooking the squid for hours. You've probably heard that you either cook squid for a few seconds or it will get tough, and that's true. But the other way is to cook it long enough that it gets tender again. If you did the recipe right a fork will go right through the tubes and it will have a very slight chew. Hope you enjoy.
Ingredient list is more of a "about this much" vs "cups and tablespoons" sort of thing. But I've only ever eyeballed it. Sorry.
You need: 5-10lbs of squid tubes, italian bread crumbs, canned mushrooms, one large onion, two eggs, salt/pepper/garlic, milk or half and half, several large jars of spaghetti sauce
Stuffing: (combine in a large bowl)
- 3 or 4 cups of italiam bread crumbs
- 3 or 4 cans of mushrooms (stems and pieces are cheap and fine) food processed to oblivion
- dice the onion as fine as you can (or food process, but this will make the flavor very "oniony")
- eggs
- spices
Combine all this into a paste-like consistency. Use a splash or two of milk/half n half to get it wet enough, shouldn't be crumbly.
Squid:
You want cleaned (and skinned) tubes. We used to turn them inside out to make sure there were no bits left inside, but today's cleaned squid is pretty damn clean. If you have fat fingers like me turning them inside out is nearly impossible. Anyway, once they are cleaned (and turned back right side in) toss them in a big pot of salted boiling water. Cook them for 5 minutes or so. They will shrink and turn white. Drain and cool off with cold water so you can handle them.
Stuffing the squid:
This part isn't much fun. Sometimes the tubes are big and you can use your hand or a spoon. Sometimes they are small and we've used a pastry bag situation to stuff them. However you need to get it done, stuff them just shy of full.
Cooking:
Can be done in a big pot, but we've always preferred a crock. These are going to simmer for at least 3 or 4 hours, and who wants to watch a pot that long. So into your crock add a couple jars of sauce. We like Ragu traditional because it is a good base flavor without a lot else going on, but whatever you like will work. Thin it with water and wine (always add wine to red sauce!) and add the stuffed squid. Run it on high for an hour or two and once it is good and hot low for another two hours. Eat it hot or cold, with pasta or not!
If you try this please let me know! Bit of work but man is it good. You'll notice that I'm not shy about cooking the squid for hours. You've probably heard that you either cook squid for a few seconds or it will get tough, and that's true. But the other way is to cook it long enough that it gets tender again. If you did the recipe right a fork will go right through the tubes and it will have a very slight chew. Hope you enjoy.
