Conference turris::cooks

I would like to offer you the following receipe:

Squids with Tomatoes:

2 lbs. squids			1 cup solid-packed tomatoes or
4 tbs. olive oil		your own pasta sauce
Pinch of oregano		1/2 cup dry sherry or red wine
1 tsp chopped parsley		2 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Have squids thoroughly cleaned.  Cut into small pieces.  Wash well.

Pour olive oil in saucepan and heat; brown garlic about 3 minutes.
Add squids; cover, saute 10 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, oregano, and/or
sherry or red wine; cook 10 minutes longer over low flame.  Add tomatoes,
parsley; cover; cook 15 minutes or until tender.  

Serve very hot on pasta.  Serves 4 to 6.

I have tried the above receipe at least four times without failing.  The 
calamai is exquiste!!!

    
    
    	After cleaning slice crosswise into rings, coat with seasoned
    	bread crumbs and fry.
    

    
    
    	Fry until goldenbrown and crisp.  Don't know if they are available
    	pre cut.
    
    Bob

I've purchased them pre-cleaned, and my local grocer has them cleaned, sliced,
and breaded, ready to go into the fryer (they had them with the frozen stuffed
clams and such).  If you buy them cleaned, it's pretty easy to slice them 
yourself, and cleaning them isn't too bad, as long as you aren't squeamish.  

As for how long to cook them, fry them until they just turn golden, then remove
them to paper towels.  They might brown a bit more.  Try one.  If it's over-
cooked, it has the consistency of a rubberband.  

You can also add the rings to hot tomato sauce for a minute or two before 
serving over pasta.  Or, put about a cup of olive oil in a skillet, add chopped
garlic, and sautee over medium heat until the garlic softens but does not brown.
Add the rings and sautee a few more minutes.  Again, serve over pasta.

The best squid I ever had was at the Quarterdeck in Maynard.  They used to have
a Portugese cook at lunchtime, and he made a spicy stuffed squid with garlic 
mayonnaise.  It was fantastic, and no one would come near us after lunch!  
Unfortunately, the cook left and they did not save the recipe.

    If you do have to clean the squid yourself, a kind suggestion would be
    to do this outside, else get out a very large can of Lysol.  Never
    again will I do this in my kitchen.....especially in the wintertime.

    > If you do have to clean the squid yourself, a kind suggestion would be
    > to do this outside, else get out a very large can of Lysol.  Never
    > again will I do this in my kitchen.....especially in the wintertime.
    
    Never again will I do it at all.  Yuck!  I believe cleaning fresh squid
    was probably the worst culinary experience I've ever had, and I've been
    cooking for a long time.  In fact, the one time I did it, the calamari
    we had that night was delicious, but I could not bring myself to eat
    more than just a bite or two.  My experience earlier that afternoon was
    simply still too fresh in my mind.  If you can buy them frozen, do it. 
    If not, I'd recommend finding a good restaurant...
    
    							Pat

    

    All of you are WIMPS.  Squid, if _fresh_, or _fresh-frozen_ should
    smell like the breeze from off the sea.  If not, they've been hanging
    around too long.
    
    To clean, pull the head off.  Then, squeeze the body like a tube of
    toothpaste, and most of the insides will come out.  There is a
    backbone, that looks like stiff cellophane (referred to as the 'pen').
    
    Use your fingers, pull the pen out.  Then, hold the body under running
    water, and rinse out.  You may have to repeat the 'toothpaste' trick
    once or twice more.
    
    The 'head' end, (tentacles) is cleaned as follows:
    
    Take a _sharp_ knife, and cut at an angle just in front of the eyes.
    (You'll have to experiment to find exactly the right spot).  When cut
    in the correct spot, you will see what appears to be a small white
    ball, of a different texture than the surrounding flesh.  This is the
    mouth -- if you than squeeze the tentacles distal to the small marble,
    it will be expelled (to be _gross_, sort of like squeezing a zit).
    You will see in this small marble, a small beak, shaped very much like
    a parrots beak.  Squid are carnivores, and this is their weapon.
    
    When cleaning, you may run across small sand-eels, anchovies, etc.,
    the squids last meal.
    
    The squid is covered with a thin membrane.  You may remove this, or
    leave it on.  If you leave it on, it will impart some color to whatever
    you are cooking -- and the color will be purplish.  To remove the
    membrane, just place the squid on a relatively hard surface, and use
    your _fingertips_ (not your _fingernails_) to scrub at it, until it
    releases.  You can do this on a whole squid, or one whose body has been
    slit, so that it flattens out.
    
    Speaking of that, some people like their squid in rings, others in
    strips.  If strips are your thing, then when the body is cleaned, slit
    up from the large end to the small end.  (This is another good way to
    make sure that everything is out of the body).  Then you can cube or
    slice into strips, as desired.  Some reciples call for making a light
    incision partly through the flesh, in a diamond pattern over the whole
    flat body.  (I had squid once, that was almost 3/4-inch thick, done in
    this manner.  It was marinated, and then lightly pan-fried AND IT WAS
    DELICIOUS).  
    
    Now, THIS IS IMPORTANT!  DON'T LET THE SQUID JUICE GET ON ANYTHING --
    AND IF IT DOES, CLEAN IT UP IMMEDIATELY!  If your clothes get wet with
    the juice, DON"T THROW THEM IN THE HAMPER, WASH THEM IMMEDIATELY.  If
    you don't, they're gonna smell.  The smell will go when washed, but
    you wouldn't want to live with them until they are.
    
    When you cook squid, DO IT QUICKLY.  Over-cooking leads to toughness,
    unless you cook for several hours, as in the case of Portuguese
    Squid Stew.
    
    Now, if after all that, you still want some recipes, I have them.
              
    -Chris Johnson

    re: 7
    
    Chris,
    
    I chuckled as I read the cleaning of the squid because I grew up
    in an Italian household and saw this done many times.  My daughter
    has the same reaction as some of the notes, YUK! Do you have a marinate
    recipe?  I have had it down the North End and can't figure out what
    they are using?  
    
    Loraine

    I have recently started buying squid (not whole but in "rings")
    and the only way I know how to cook it is by shallow frying it in
    olive oil with garlic, white wine, salt & pepper.  It tastes lovely
    but I am inerested to know what other ways I could try cooking it.
    
    Does anyone have any suggestions?
    
    
    Frances
    (Ayr, Scotland)
    

    It can be added to a mildly spiced spaghetti sauce in the last few
    minutes of cooking, too.
    
    My favorite, however, is dipped in flour, then egg, then cornmeal, and
    fried.  The perfect way to make this otherwise low calorie healthy food
    into something that's bad for you!

    Squid in "Irish stew" is delicious! also in a marinara sauce cooked
    with both, squid and mussels served over spagetti... there tons of
    recipes, squid is a very tasty and very good "sea food" that can be
    adapted to almost everything.  I will bring in my recipies and will
    post them here...

    This recipe I do not think will be written in any book.
    I tried it several times, and each time I like it more and more.
    
    I like the squid fried. The rings come out very nice. The heads though,
    with these little fingers, always pick up a lot of flour. Fried food is
    unhealthy, but the more the flour the worse. I had to do something
    else with these fingers. 
    
    Broil them! A little salt, under high heat. Until the ends burn a
    little. It does not take more than 5 minutes. If you like the taste of
    crab, or lobster, or octapus, then the result is very similar.
    
    demetri

    On the cruise I was just on, I had squid that was steamed w/ginger. I
    don't have the recipe, but it was great! It was stuffed with a ginger
    type thing. It was wonderful - if you could whip up a recipe - feel
    free to share it! 8-)
    
    beth

    I have made a cold squid "salad" using the cooked squid (poached in
    wine) and then heated gently with lots of garlic, chopped tomatoes, and
    some seasonings and then allowed to cool. This was a Greek recipe that
    I had followed so maybe check your ethnic cookbooks. Turkish cooking is
    done with alot of squid as well.
    
    Feels like time for a run to the "Calamari Kitchen".

    My version of "calamares en su tinta" which is a very typical Spanish
    dish...
    
    Preparation:
    Clean squid being careful of saving the ink sacks, clean them well
    inside and keep them whole, mince the tentacles very fine and combine
    with about 1 cup of soft bread crumbs, a couple green onions, some ham
    or better, some shorizo, salt, pepper, and moisten with approx 1/3 cup
    of white wine... fill squids and use a toothpick to keep them closed.
	
    Put about 2 cups of water in a pan, add 1/3 cup oil, 1 onion, ninced
    fine, 1/3 cup minced parsley, 1 crushed glove of garlic, and a bit of 
    safran, and put the squid in, making sure they're covered with the liquid
    and making sure they're closed and stuffing well contained within the
    bodies, let cook for about 50 minutes, pinching squids with a fork to let
    juices out and then, add their ink diluted in a bit a white wine...  add a
    little salt and let the sauce reduce to desired consistency.
    
    This dish is normally served with white rice on the side or served hot,
    in an earthenware dish along some crusty bread and served as "tapas",
    it is delicious!
    
    Please keep in mind that I never measure and seldom use a recipe. I
    learned to cook from my mother and she never measured a single thing!
    just "a bit of this" "a pinch of that"...
    
    This dish is not strong, but it is very tasty, the "ink" is smooth and
    has a very distintive and delicate flavor.
    
    Ana
    

I saw a recipe in an international cookbook that I would like to try.
Unfortunately, I don't have the book or even remember the name of it.
The recipe was "Beans & Squid Soup".  It sounded good and the picture
looked great.  In addition to the Beans & Squid I remember that it had
tomatoes in it also.  Might any of you have access to that recipe and
be willing to post it?

thanks,
Sam

1 1/2 Cup Dried Cannellini Beans.
6 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1 Handful Fresh Sage Leaves.
2 # Squid.
2 Garlic Cloves.
1 1/4 # Plum Tomatoes, Peeled & Chopped.
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
================================================================================
- Soak Beans 12 Hour.

- Drain & Xfer to Heavy Sauce Pan.
  Add 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Sage & Water just to cover.
  Bring slow to boil over low heat.
  Simmer gently 1 1/2 Hour, by which time water should be absorbed and beans 
  should be almost consistency  of porridge.

- Meanwhile, clean Squid, slice bodies & chop tentacles.

- In large skillet, moderate heat, warm remaining 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
  w/Garlic.  Add Squid & cook, stirring occasionally for 5 min.  Add tomatoes,
  lower heat and cook until liquid is almost completely evaporated, approx 
  30 min.

- Add Beans to Squid, stir & heat together approx 5 min, season to taste w/Salt
  and Pepper.

- Serve.

    Does anyone have a stuffed calamari recipe??
    
    Loraine

    	My Italian grandmother was an outstanding cook. She did all kinds
    of things with calamari. I was eating it on a regular basis 35 years
    ago, long before it was popular (in fact, we used to get the squid for
    free). There was one recipe in particular, which she called "Squid Pie"
    - the literal Italian translation - was then and still is one of my
    favorite dishes. Before she died about 8 years ago, she taught my
    mother how to make it. My mother has never written down the recipe or
    shown anyone else how to make it. I *have* to get her to do this
    because this dish is extremely rare. I grew up in an Italian
    neighborhood, and none of the other Italians had ever heard of it
    before, but all of them went nuts over it.
    	If I succeed at getting this recipe, I'll post it here. Basically,
    it's a pie in the pizza-pie sense (the crust is a pizza-style crust).
    The filling consists of pieces of squid, pine nuts, raisins, tomatoes,
    garlic (tons of garlic), olive oil, Italian herbs, and who knows what
    else. OK, I'm getting hungry now!

	.20

	Reminds me a little of Naples style squid...

	Perhaps you'd like to modify this,

	1/4 C Olive oil
	Crushed garlic(2 or 3 cloves)
	1 Lb can crushed tomatoes
	1/2 C Sultanna raisins
	1/2 C red wine
	2 Lbs squid
	1/2 C pine nuts
	1/2 C Black Gaeta olives
	2-3Tbpsps chopped parsley	(and whatever salt pepper you use)

	Soak the raisins in warm red wine to plump, clean the squid,
	saute the garlic(lightly), the add the squid/pine nuts/olives/tomatoes
	and plumped raisins to the skillet. Cover pan, lower heat and cook
	about 20-30 minutes. If too thick add liquid... Add parsley when go
	to serve.
	

	Rep .19  Loraine

>>>     Does anyone have a stuffed calamari recipe??
    
    

	You can stuff calamari with just about anything. I have used
	bread crumb, veggie based, and seafood based stuffings. Here's
	a couple,


	1C  fresh bread crumbs
	1-3 cloves crushed garlic
	3 large mushrooms finely chopped
	2 shallots finely chopped


	Saute the garlic, mushrooms, shallots in 3TBsps of olive oil
	until they are limp. Add the the bread crumbs and the juice of
	one lemon. Depending on how much liquid you have you may have
	to add more liquid or bread crumbs to get the correct consistency.
	Which is stuffing that just holds together but not to wet or sticky.
	If you like also add some mixed herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.
	I've been known to add some hot chilies also. Stuff the calamari
	and close with a toothpick. You can then poach them in whatever
	liquid you like <tomato sauce, fish stock, clam juice, white wine,
	red wine, water, ...> for about 1 hour. Remove the calamari and
	then use the pan juices to make a sauce for the calamari. One of
	my favorites is just using a good tomato sauce but a nice white
	wine reduction sauce is also yummy. I would serve them with rice
	and a steamed veggie and your favorite white wine.

	
	1 red bell pepper finely chopped
	1 yellow bell pepper finely chopped
	1 small onion finely chopped
	3 large mushrooms finely chopped
	1 small eggplant finely chopped
	1 small zucchini finely chopped
	3 clove garlic crushed
	3 plum tomatoes finely chopped <canned or fresh>

	Saute all the veggie's in 3TBsp of olive oil until limp. Then add
	the tomatoes and about 1/4C dry white wine and cook until just 
	about all of the liquid is gone. Again add mixed herbs, salt, and
	pepper to taste. Stuff and poach the calamari as before.


	Remember poaching isn't boiling it is just barely simmering. Be
	creative with your stuffings, like I said just about anything 
	will work. 


	-mike

    Re: .21
    
    	That sounds VERY close to the filling. I'll check this out with
    mom! One thing really struck me in this though: Black Gaeta olives.
    Would this be Gaeta as in Gaeta, Italy? That's where my father and
    grandmother are from.

    I remove the tentacles, and chop them up and add to the stuffing mix. I
    also use the usual turkey bread stuffing, you know, onions, celery,
    bread crumbs.  Add the chopped tentacles, stuff, and pinch the ends
    with toothpicks.  Then into a pot of red sauce and bubble away!
    Reminds me of Christmas Eve...
    Sarah

Just had some from the DEC-Caf at lunch. They mess up some things, 
but they really do a mean baby octopus!

Chargrilled, served with a sweet chilli sauce.  I think they marinate 
them beforehand. Usually served on a bed of rice.

One of these days I'll experiment and post the results.

~Sheridan~
:^)

Calamari: this is squid, and always squid, right? What is the Italian
word for octopus? 

(A family member recently stated that "Calamari" on a menu can mean squid
or octopus. Nay, nay said I...)

Thanks,

Art 

Not sure of the spelling, but it's something like scungili (skoon GEE lee)

	I think it is Polpo...

	Scungilli is conch, yes?

Right.