Stuffed calamari (lulas recheadas)
Ingredients
- 6 – 8 medium-sized whole squid
- Stuffing
- oil, to fry
- ¼ chorizo, finely chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium ripe tomato, grated
- 20ml (4 tsp) white wine
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5ml (1 tsp) fresh parsley, chopped
- 50g pepe bucato or any other small pasta, rice, couscous or noodles
- Sauce
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 25ml olive oil
- ½ green pepper, cut into strips
- ½ red pepper, cut into strips
- ½ yellow pepper, cut into strips
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 5ml (1 tsp) paprika
- 5ml (1 tsp) pepper
- 10ml (2 tsp) salt
- 10ml (2 tsp) lemon rind
Instructions
Clean the squid. Reserve the tubes and chop up the side wings and tentacles very finely. Prepare the stuffing first and, while it is cooking, prepare the sauce in which the squid is to be cooked.
For the stuffing, heat a little oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the chorizo until crisp. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, 5 minutes. Add the chopped tentacles and side wings, tomatoes, wine, seasoning, parsley and pasta, rice, couscous or noodles, and simmer, 10 – 15 minutes.
For the sauce, fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat, 5 minutes. Add the peppers, tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika and black pepper, and simmer, 10 – 15 minutes.
Using a small teaspoon, place the stuffing in the reserved tubes until they are three-quarters full. Secure the top of the tubes with toothpicks. Do not overfill them – there must be enough room for the stuffing to expand during cooking, otherwise the tubes will burst. Place the squid in the sauce (any leftover stuffing may be added to the sauce) and simmer gently over low-medium heat, 40 – 45 minutes. Remove the toothpicks, season with the salt and sprinkle with lemon rind just before serving.
Cook’s tip: This dish is usually served with plain rice and lots of red wine!
