Stuffed Calamari

Score! I got my brother-in-law Ralph's Stuffed Calamari recipe! This was so good, dare I say as good as Ralph's. I made a salad with shaved Parmigiana and a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice to go along with dinner.

Here is the recipe for Stuffed Calamari as emailed from Ralph.

Stuffing is made beforehand and at/close to room temp prior to stuffing...... Just 2 cans of crab meat with a bit of its liquid sauteed w/four five tablespoons of butter ..........a splash of white wine, some chopped parsley..When mixture is bubbling, remove from heat.........Add breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly.....Add enough breadcrumbs to achieve a consistency between dry and wet if that makes sense.....(call Goldilocks for more specific info)........The most important thing is not to cram/over stuff .....This will cause the calamari to split.....A long spoon (ice cream soda) works well.....I will force some stuffing to the bottom and then add more stuffing gently tapping down but not packing......Use a toothpick to seal at the top................Sauce is a can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic...... Be generous with the olive oil covering pan bottom and then some..... saute garlic along with red pepper flakes depending on how much heat is desired.....(I keep adding more each year and it's not quite where I like it yet.).......... adding tomatoes when garlic is browned....add red wine/water equal to 1/3 of the tomato can......... 

     I make the stuffing first, set aside, and then do the sauce. When the sauce gets to a boil, lower temp to simmer slowly...... I then stuff the calamari and at some point will add the tentacles to the sauce. After the stuffing is completed, I will add the calamari carefully to the sauce, bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer........

Easy recipe top follow and you will be so pleased with the results.

Stuffed Calamari

Tonight I got in at about 5:15 and quickly put this dinner together. I have been wanting to make Stuffed Calamari for a long time. I found a recipe that seemed similar to my mom's. It is from Food.com. The recipe serves 6. Obviously I adjusted the amounts for the two of us but the recipe below is as it appears on the site. We both enjoyed this. The Calamari was cooked perfectly, hurray, but the stuffing was a little dry. Perhaps my adjustments need a little fine tuning.

Italian Stuffed Calamari from Food.com

Ingredients -
6 medium squid
1/4 cup Progresso Italian-style fine bread crumbs, I used homemade breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves, no I did not use garlic
1 egg
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, no I did not use garlic
1 egg
1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine

Method -
Clean squid or tubes and pat dry.

If using whole squid, chop tender parts of the tentacles and mix them with the bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, egg and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to make stuffing.

Blend well, add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon stuffing mixture loosely into each squid tube and close with a toothpick. Do not over stuff because the squid will shrink during cooking.

Add remaining oil to skillet large enough to hold squid in a single layer.

Heat oil and cook sliced garlic until golden brown. Arrange the squid in oil and brown all sides lightly.

Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, rosemary, green pepper, remaining minced garlic, wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and cook 25 to 30 minutes. (I cooked it for 20 minutes)

Remove toothpick from squid and serve whole or sliced, alone or with pasta.

Feast of the 7 Fishes

Christmas Eve is my favorite meal. We had dinner at my sister's house.

We started off with Homemade Pasta and Fish Sauce.

Next they served the Lobster Tails and my favorite dish that my brother-in-law makes, Stuffed Calamari. Wow.

Here is the recipe-
For the sauce saute garlic in olive oil, add crushed tomatoes. For the stuffing, saute onions in olive oil and butter. Add parsley, crab meat and bread crumbs. Stuff the squid and put the squid and tentacles in the sauce and cook. Fantastic.

Next was the main course. Flounder with a Lobster Meat and Bread Crumb topping. Seafood Polpettes. Bacala Salad 2 ways. And rounding of the meal was my favorite vegetable, Broccoli.

Ralph out did himself this year with the Flounder. He sauteed onion and celery in olive oil and butter. Added the lobster meat and then the breadcrumbs until it had the consistency 0f a stuffing. Grease a baking pan. Place the fish on the pan and sprinkle it with salt and pepper and put the stuffing on top of the fish and bake.

The Bacala was used in the salads. One was spicy and one was sweet. I prefer the hot (spicy) salad. Some people refer to it as bait but that only means there is more for my plate!

The Seafood Polpettes are my contribution to the meal. I fried them outside on the deck this morning, I hate the smell of fried foods in the house. Yes it was cold but at least it was not snowing.

The recipe is from Biba's Italian Kitchen.

Ingredients-
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1/2 pound medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound sea scallops
2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiana cheese
2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs, I used Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups plain bread crumbs, I used Panko bread crumbs
Oil for frying, I used a vegetable oil

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until it is lightly golden and soft, 4 to 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer onion to a bowl and let cool.

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook until golden on all sides, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer the fish to a bowl and cool.

Place cooled fish and onions in the bowl of a food processor and chop them into fine pieces (Do Not Puree Them). Put the mixture into a large bowl and add the eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything well with a wooden spoon or with your hands until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If mixture seems to soft add more cheese or bread crumbs (I usually have to add more of each to get the consistency correct).

Take 1 heaping tablespoon of the shellfish mixture, shape into a small ball, then flatten it lightly between the palms of you hands. When all the polpette have been shaped, dip them into eggs and coat them with the bread crumbs.

Heat 1 inch of oil in medium skillet, I use and electric skillet, to medium heat. When the oil is very hot, lower a few polpettes at a time into the oil with a slotted spoon. Cook until they are lightly golden, about 2 minutes, then turn them gently and cook until the other side until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels and drain. Serve piping hot. I reheat them in the oven because I make them earlier in the day. I also put some in the freezer for a quick meal.

The wine was a nice Riesling. It had a nice hint of pineapple.

Dessert was of course Christmas cookies. This is a photo of my sister's cookies. I always enjoy her cookies more then mine. She makes the best lemon bars.