Squid Stuffed With Spinach And Herbs Recipes

ITALIAN STUFFED CALAMARI RECIPE

Steps:

• Once you have cleaned the calamari and separated the tentacles from the body, chop the tentacles into very small pieces on a cutting board.
• Cook over medium heat the small pieces of tentacles in a frying pan with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, one clove of garlic and a pinch of salt to taste. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) of white wine and let it evaporate over high heat, cooking for about 3 minutes. Then turn off and set aside.
• Soften the bread in a little water then squeeze well to remove the excess and put it in a bowl. Remove the garlic from the frying pan. Chop the garlic and 1 tablespoon of parsley together then add them to the bread. Mix and add these ingredients to the squid in the frying pan.
• Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring well. Let it cool down a bit then transfer to a bowl. Now add the egg and Parmigiano cheese. Stir to mix the ingredients. The filling is ready.
• Fill the calamari tubes 3/4 of the way with a teaspoon. Close the stuffed squid tubes with some toothpicks and set them aside.
• In a frying pan, sauté a clove of garlic in three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the stuffed squid tubes and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add 60 ml (1/4 cup) of white wine and let it evaporate over high heat, cooking for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes and cut them into pieces.
• add the chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and a pinch of fine salt to taste. Cook covered with a lid over low heat for about 30 minutes. Gently flip the squid two or three times during cooking. When calamari are cooked, remove the toothpicks and serve

BRAISED CALAMARI STUFFED WITH SHRIMP, SPINACH AND HERBS

Steps:

• To make the calamari:
• Roughly chop 3 of the calamari tubes and add to a food processor with the coarsely chopped shrimp and garlic. Pulse into a coarse paste. Remove to a large bowl and add the spinach, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, herbs, and pinch of crushed red pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. The mixture should be a little chunky but moist and holding together. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini patty, cooking it in a small pan and eating it. It should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more salt, to taste. Divide the stuffing among the 8 remaining calamari bodies and secure closed with toothpicks.
• To make the sauce:
• Coat a large, wide skillet or saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Season with salt and put the saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are soft and aromatic, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill or puree them in a food processor and add them and 1 cup of water to the pan. Season with salt, to taste, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
• Add the calamari to the pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the calamari from the pan and remove the toothpicks. Reduce the sauce to thicken, if needed. Arrange the calamari on a serving platter and cover with the sauce before serving.
• Deliciouso!

SQUID STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Clean the squid and chop the tentacles finely. Set aside.
• Saute the onion and garlic in one tablespoon olive oil and butter without browning, until the onion is soft. Add the tentacles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and saute, stirring, until they are thoroughly wilted.
• In a mixing bowl combine the ricotta, egg, two tablespoons parsley and the cooked spinach mixture. Mix thoroughly and season with salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes to taste.
• Stuff the mixture into the squid -not too full - and secure the end closed with a toothpick.
• With the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, grease a rectanguler baking dish large enough to hold the stuffed squid comfortably in one layer. Arrange the squid in the dish and add the wine and tomatoes.Season with salt and pepper, and more pepper flakes if you like.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the squid is tender and the sauce has thickened. If there is too much liquid, turn the oven up and allow the sauce to reduce. If there is too little, add more white wine. Serve with lemon quarters.

SQUID STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut off tentacles so that you have just the body cavity.
• Make sure to keep it whole so you can stuff it without leaks.
• Reserve the tentacles.
• Mix together the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, pepper, nutmeg,parsley and egg; set aside.
• Heat the oil at medium in a large heavy skillet or saucepan.
• Add the garlic.
• Stir and cook for a few seconds.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil and add tomato paste.
• Lower heat and add rosemary.
• Simmer sauce for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the sauce is simmering, stuff the body of each squid only about 1/3 full of the spinach/cheese mixture.
• If you overstuff them, they will explode.
• You might also want to poke a hole or two in the body of the squid.
• Fasten the opening of each squid with a toothpick.
• After the sauce has cooked, place the stuffed squid in the simmering sauce.
• Add the tentacles to the sauce.
• Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Then turn carefully and simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
• While the squid is cooking, melt the butter in a clean pan and toss the pine nuts in the butter until golden.
• Watch carefully; pine nuts have a tendency to burn.
• Lift out stuffed squid to a warm, flat serving dish with sides.
• Spoon sauce around and garnish with pine nuts.

BRAISED CALAMARI STUFFED WITH SHRIMP, SPINACH, AND HERBS

Steps:

• For the calamari: Roughly chop 3 of the calamari tubes and add to a food processor with the shrimp and garlic. Pulse into a coarse paste. Remove to a large bowl and add the spinach, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. The mixture should be a little chunky but moist and holding together. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini patty, cooking it in a small pan, and eating it. It should taste really good! If it doesn't, it is probably missing salt. Add more salt, as needed. Divide the stuffing among the remaining 8 calamari bodies and secure closed with toothpicks.
• For the sauce: Coat a large, wide skillet or saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and put the skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill or puree them in a food processor and add them with 1 cup of water to the skillet. Season with salt, to taste, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
• Add the calamari to the skillet and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the calamari from the skillet and remove the toothpicks. Reduce the sauce to thicken, if needed. Arrange the calamari on a serving platter and cover with the sauce before serving.

SQUID STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND HERBS

Steps:

• Prepare squid: remove intestine, eyes and the jelly bone from squid. Rinse well and cut of the tentacles.
• Clean rinse and chop spinach.
• Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion and tentacles for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add spinach and hers and sauté for other 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat and stir in rice, salt and pepper.
• Stuff the squid taking care not to overfill them and place in a baking tin.
• Heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic.
• Add remaining ingredients and cook for 5-10 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the squid and bake at 180°C/350F for about three quarters of an hour. Check the liquid from time to time and add more liquid (wine of water) if necessary.