Squid (calamari) is slowly braised in the oven with wine and garlic, cinnamon, and tarragon, then served with parsley potato croutons.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup cloves garlic (1 or 2 heads), peeled
- 2 pounds squid, cleaned and rinsed, the bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings, the tentacles split if large
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup very dry white wine
- 1 pound starchy potatoes (3 or 4 medium-size), such as Russet or Idaho
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat in an oven-proof pot. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cloves barely begin to color. Add the squid and stir briefly.
Still over medium-low heat, sprinkle on the paprika and flour and stir well. Add the cinnamon, tarragon, and pepper, and stir to blend. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the parsley and add the rest to the pot along with the wine. Stir, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir once more, cover, and place in the oven.
Meanwhile, boil (20 to 40 minutes, depending on size) or microwave (5 to 8 minutes) the potatoes until a knife pierces them fairly easily; they will not be fully cooked. Peel as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. When the oil shimmers, add the potatoes and cook, stirring briskly until brown and crisp all over, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, salt lightly, and set aside.
When the squid has cooked for 1 hour, remove it from the oven and stir. It will have shrunk considerably. If it is swimming in a good deal of liquid, remove the cover. If not, leave the cover on the pot. Return the squid to the oven for another 30 minutes. The stew is done when the squid is tender and the garlic is of a spreadable consistency. Sprinkle it with parsley and the potato croutons (or pass the croutons at the table), and serve with lots of crusty bread.
Yield: 4 servings
• How to clean squid and harvest ink
Recipe Source: Fish : The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking by Mark Bittman (Macmillan)
Reprinted with permission.
Still over medium-low heat, sprinkle on the paprika and flour and stir well. Add the cinnamon, tarragon, and pepper, and stir to blend. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the parsley and add the rest to the pot along with the wine. Stir, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir once more, cover, and place in the oven.
Meanwhile, boil (20 to 40 minutes, depending on size) or microwave (5 to 8 minutes) the potatoes until a knife pierces them fairly easily; they will not be fully cooked. Peel as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. When the oil shimmers, add the potatoes and cook, stirring briskly until brown and crisp all over, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, salt lightly, and set aside.
When the squid has cooked for 1 hour, remove it from the oven and stir. It will have shrunk considerably. If it is swimming in a good deal of liquid, remove the cover. If not, leave the cover on the pot. Return the squid to the oven for another 30 minutes. The stew is done when the squid is tender and the garlic is of a spreadable consistency. Sprinkle it with parsley and the potato croutons (or pass the croutons at the table), and serve with lots of crusty bread.
Yield: 4 servings
• How to clean squid and harvest ink
Recipe Source: Fish : The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking by Mark Bittman (Macmillan)
Reprinted with permission.
