Calamari Ripieni (Stuffed Squid)

OK, please humor me while I tell an annoying story. Back in 2015, I was able to take four weeks between jobs to travel solo around the Balkans, going to Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece of course. During that period of my life, I remember vacillating between feelings of immense loneliness and liberation in solitude. In Kotor, Montenegro, I decided to take myself out to a nice dinner at a restaurant called Cesarica, and it remains one of the best evenings and experiences of my life. I (accidentally) ordered a full carafe of white wine, a village salad with tomato, cucumber, onion, peppers, and feta, a loaf of warm bread, marinated anchovies, and the squid stuffed with shrimp. Everything was incredible, especially the melt-in-your-mouth squid like I’ve never tasted before. So lemony and garlicky with a browned crust but tender, almost buttery inside, I didn’t even know squid could have that texture! By the end of the meal I was completely drunk telling the Australian family two tables down exactly what to order. I walked home to my hostel in the perfect warm night, admiring the beautiful path I was walking down and feeling swelling pride in myself for my successful solo date. I’ve been trying to recreate the “squid experience” ever since.

This recipe is inspired by one I found in one of my Nonna’s cookbooks – the Heart of the Home International Cookbook which was written and published in 1978 by the Italian Catholic Federation of San Diego. It replaces the ground shrimp from my original stuffed squid experience with fresh breadcrumbs, and the texture is phenomenal. The dish debuted at our feast of the seven fishes this past Christmas Eve and was the hit of the night! Serves 8 as an appetizer or side dish, or 4 as a main course.

Ingredients:
1 lb squid (cleaned tubes and tentacles, defrosted if purchased frozen)
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (use crusty stale or toasted bread and pulse in a food processor)
1/4 cup pecorino
1/4 cup parmesan
6 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
zest of 2 lemons
1 egg
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)

Separate the cleaned tubes from the tentacles of the squid, setting aside the tentacles into a small bowl. Place the tubes on a cutting board or other flat surface and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.

In a medium bowl, mix the fresh bread crumbs, pecorino, parmesan, grated garlic, pine nuts, and lemon zest. Season with salt and lots of cracked pepper. Use a fork to mix together, finally incorporating the egg and mixing again. The mixture should feel and look like wet sand. If it’s not wet enough, add a bit of olive oil.

Get a baking dish that will fit all the squid so they’re snug once stuffed and drizzle the bottom with olive oil. Begin stuffing the squid with the bread crumb mixture. I like to do this over the bowl with my fingers, but feel free to use a small spoon if that’s easier. This will take some time, but it’s worth it! Be sure not to over-stuff the squid so that it doesn’t tear.

Once all the squid is stuffed and placed snugly together in the baking dish, put any leftover stuffing in the bowl with the tentacles, tossing to mix together. Spread this mixture around the edges of the baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and ¼ cup of white wine on top.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, then broil on high for 5 minutes so it gets some color. Serve with a spoon to get all the delicious drippings!

Jessica CometaMarch 13, 2020