Squid Stuffed With Shrimp

I love squid whether is fried, sauteed, baked,...you get the idea and I love trying new dishes.  So I put those two together and found a great dish to make.  I got The Silver Spoon Italian cook book for Christmas from my wonderful girlfriend and have been using it quite often.  Maybe she was getting bored with my meals and thought I needed some inspiration...haha (totally kidding)  With 1200 pages and over 2000 recipes I won't run out of meals to cook anytime soon.  So this is where I adapted the recipe from and add some changes to it.  

Squid Stuffed With Shrimp
3 large squid cleaned
300g/11oz cooked shrimp peeled and chopped
1 medium sized potato chopped (peeled if you like, I kept the skin on mine)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1/4 cup of double cream
1 cup of passata
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (separated)
1 tsp dried basil
S+P

Boil the potato until fork tender, drain and mash with fork or potato masher.  Cook the squid tentacles in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and chop.  Mix together the mashed potato, tentacles, shrimp egg yolks, 1 tbsp parsley, and bread crumbs in a bowl and season with a little S+P.
Spoon the mixture into the body sacs of the squid, making sure not to overfill them, and close with toothpicks (I didn't have any and it started to squirt out but no big deal).

Heat EVOO in a large frying pan, add garlic and cook for a couple minutes until browned, then remove.  Add the squid to the pan and cook over low heat for about 25-30 minutes.  Stir the cream into the passata, add the remaining parsley and basil and pour over the squid heating through.  Taste and add seasoning if needed.

I served mine over whole wheat pene.  Buon Appetito! 

Fried Squid (Calamari)

Every time I eat out I think to myself, "I could probably make this".   Now I love calamari.  I've had it at many restaurants some good and some bad.  How hard could it be to fry some squid?  So I looked up some recipes and after a few failed attempts I changed one thing and it came out delicious.  This can be served as an appetizer with a dipping sauce or it's also great in a salad.

2 medium sized squid (Or however much you want)
1 cup of flour

vegetable oil for frying
S+P

Pour the vegetable oil into a saucepan, about a 1 inch deep and heat the oil.  Place the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper.  Additional spices could be added to the flour such as smoked paprika or cayenne pepper, whatever floats your boat.  Slice the squid into 1/2 inch rings and toss in the flour making sure to coat well.

To test if the oil is hot enough, use a pair of tongs, dip one of the calamari rings into the oil. If it sizzles and begins to cook, the oil is ready.  Turn heat down to medium to prevent oil splattering.  In batches, dip the coated squid into the oil and fry for 1 minute or until golden brown.

 

Transfer calamari to a plate with paper towels using a slotted spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Repeat this process until all the squid has been cooked. Try not to over cook it or it will be rubbery.

 I decided to put mine into a mixed kale salad topped with some good balsamic vinegar