Stuffed baby squid with onions

I'm not going to lie to you. Today I'm not bringing you a quick recipe. Of course, it's not a difficult recipe either, but it is a bit entertaining. Of course, it's also absolutely delicious, and as soon as you try the first bite of these stuffed squid with onions , you'll forget all the time you spent preparing them and all you'll remember is how delicious they are, I promise!

One of the most entertaining parts of the recipe is cleaning the squid. If you have never done it before, I will tell you how to do it in the recipe. But if your fishmonger gives you the squid already cleaned, trust me… Take advantage of it! This way you will have half of the recipe done.

I also recommend that you use a large squid, because if they are too small, you can spend forever cleaning and filling them. Also, when it comes to filling them, I find it very practical to use a pastry bag, because it makes it much quicker. But many people prefer to use a spoon, so you can do it however you like.

And what can I tell you about the new ceramic cocotte from Emile Henry ? Well, it's wonderful and I'm totally in love with it! You might think that I'm biased and that I'm blinded by love, but I really think that it has a beautiful colour and is so elegant that you can take it straight from the stove to the table.

And best of all, do you know what it is? Well, if you have an induction hob, you can now also enjoy this beauty since they are suitable for induction. So, is it something to fall in love with or not?

Delight Emile Henry ceramic cocotte , Caractère Revol porcelain plates , Opinel stainless steel knives and De Buyer stainless steel spoon

Ingredients

• 1 Kg of squid
• 400 g peeled shrimp
• 2 large onions
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ½ glass of white wine
• Salt
• Olive oil

Elaboration

How to clean squid step by step*

*If you have the opportunity to ask the fishmonger to deliver them to you clean, you will save yourself this step, which is the most tedious.

1. First, we separate the head from the bag (the body). When we remove the head, the gut will come out with it. We also remove the feather, that strip that looks like plastic, and any remains that did not come out with the head.
2. We reserve the head and discard the rest (gut, feathers, etc.)
3. We cut the tentacles above the eyes and remove the beak, a small ball that we will find in the center of the tentacles.
4. We wash the tentacles well, which we will reserve, and discard the rest.
5. We continue cleaning the body. We remove the skin that covers it by pulling it gently, as well as any remains that may have remained inside.
6. We also cut the fins from the bottom and set aside.
7. To make sure the inside is perfectly clean, I personally prefer to turn the squid body upside down, leaving the inside facing out. To avoid breaking the squid, it is best to push with your finger from the lower end of the body (the part opposite the head). Wash it well under running water and turn it over again.

To prepare the filling

1. In a frying pan or skillet , put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and heat over low heat.
2. Next, using a good knife , cut 1 onion into small cubes ( brunoise ). Add the onion to the pan with a pinch of salt and sauté over a low heat for at least 10 minutes, until tender.
3. When the onion is ready, we turn up the heat and add 1 very finely chopped garlic clove to the pan.
4. We let it brown for a minute, being very careful not to burn it, and add the prawns and the tentacles and fins of the squid to the pan, all finely chopped into small pieces.
5. We brown for a couple of minutes and add 1 grated tomato.
6. We cook over medium heat until the water evaporates and we obtain a thick texture.
7. We let it cool (enough so that we can handle it without burning ourselves).

How to prepare stuffed squid

1. Once the filling is warm, put it in a pastry bag with a large, smooth nozzle and fill the squid and seal it with a toothpick. It is important not to fill it too much, as the squid shrinks during cooking and, if it is too full, it could burst.
2. Once we have the stuffed squid, we set them aside.
3. Next, we put the Emile Henry cocotte on the heat with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and heat over a low heat.
4. Cut the remaining onion into small cubes, add it to the cocotte with a pinch of salt and sauté over low heat for at least 10 minutes, until tender.
5. When the onion is ready, we turn up the heat and add 1 very finely chopped garlic clove to the cocotte.
6. We let it brown for a minute and add the tablespoon of flour, stirring it a few times so that it browns well and eliminates the raw flour taste.
7. Next, add the squid to the cocotte and brown them for a minute, stirring gently.
8. Next, we add 1 grated tomato and the glass of white wine.
9. We keep the cocotte on medium heat while the alcohol evaporates and then we lower the heat, cover the cocotte and cook on low heat for approximately 20 minutes, until we see that the squid are tender (if they are large they will need a little more time, around 30 minutes).
10. After this time, we uncover the cocotte and let it boil so that the sauce thickens.
11. We serve the squid very hot, accompanied, if we want, with white rice or French fries.

Caractère Revol porcelain plates, Delight Emile Henry ceramic cocotte , Opinel stainless steel knives and De Buyer stainless steel spoon

Grades

• Although I have indicated in the recipe that we make the sauce for the filling and for the squid sauce separately, since it is the same sauce, we can do it all at once and then divide it between the two preparations.
• The tablespoon of flour that we add to the squid sauce is to thicken the sauce, but it is totally optional if we prefer a lighter sauce.

You see, it is not a complicated recipe, just a bit entertaining, but you will see that when you dip the first half kilo of bread in the sauce, you will forget everything, and all you are left with is how delicious the sauce is, and the squid, and the filling, and the bread, and…….

Delight Emile Henry ceramic cocotte , Caractère Revol porcelain plates , Opinel stainless steel knives and De Buyer stainless steel spoon