Kyle Phillips © 2006 Licensed to About.Com
Squid are quite popular in Italy: The bodies, sliced into rings and fried, are an absolute requirement in a fritto misto di pesce (mixed fried fish), and they are als quite tasty either stuffed or simply cooked. If you buy them at a fish market, chances are they'll be cleaned, but if they're not it's not difficult:
Begin by cutting off the end with the tentacles and beak; remove and discard the beak and set the tentacles aside. Grasp what is left of the head (the area with the eyes) and pull it out of the body; the internal organs will come with it. If you want the squid ink, carefully separate the ink sack and set it aside. Rinse the body cavity, reaching in with a finger to make sure nothing is left (you can also make a slit up the side of the body, but it is easier to stuff a squid if you don't).
Done! What next? Try this recipe from the Island of Elba:
Stufato di Calamari Coi Carciofi, Squid Stew With Artichokes
To serve 4:
4 half-pound (200 g) squid
4 artichokes
3/4 pound (300 g) onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
A small bunch parsley, minced
The juice of 2 lemons, or the equivalent volume of vinegar
Extravirgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
If the squid weren't cleaned, clean them, keeping some of the ink, and skin them if you want. Wash them well, cut the bodies into thin strips, and cut the tentacles into pieces.
Sauté the onion in 1/4 cup of olive oil. When it is golden, add the squid and the ink, and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. In the meantime clean the artichokes (instructions), cut the hearts into eighths, and put the pieces in a bowl of water, adding the lemon juice to keep them from blackening.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a second pot and cook the artichokes until half done with the parsley and garlic, about 10 minutes. Add the artichokes to the squid, check seasoning, and simmer for 15 minutes more.
Calamari on About:
Blasted squid with gingered cabbage.
Greek squid stuffed with rice.
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