Stuffed Squid

I began with Jacques Pepin’s recipe for Stuffed Squid Poulette with Kasha from The Art of Cooking pp 67 – 69. The original recipe uses flour and cream for the final sauce, leeks which I didn’t have and eggs in the stuffing. My version:

1-1/2 lbs Squid
1 TBS butter or other fat
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 lb shrimp

Prepare the stuffing by placing the carrots, celery and scallions in a food processor. Pulse until the vegetables are as well chopped as you want them for the stuffing. Melt 1 T butter or other fat in a skillet and saute the chopped vegetables for a couple of minutes. Pulse the squid tentacles in the food processor until they are in small pieces. Add the squid, garlic, salt and pepper to the vegetable mixture and cook for about a minute on high heat. Remove the stuffing mix from heat and allow to cool while you prepare the shrimp. Peel and devein the shrimp and pulse them in the food processor until they become a paste. Pepin adds an egg, but I skipped that as the protein from the shrimp will help hold the stuffing together without it. Mix the shrimp paste into the stuffing mixture and fill each squid body about half full. The stuffing will expand and the squid will shrink as they cook, so half full is all they can handle.

2 TBS butter or other fat
1/2 cup diced shallots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

To cook the stuffed shrimp melt the fat in the bottom of a dutch oven and spread the chopped shallots and celery on the bottom. Layer the stuffed squid over the chopped vegetables. Mix the wine with the salt and pepper and pour it over the squid. I added about 1/2 cup water to nearly cover the squid. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the squid and place it on top of them. Heat the pot to boiling, then cover with a tight lid and turn the heat down very low. Cook for 25 minutes.

I served the squid at this point, although Jacques Pepin used the cooking liquid to make a cream sauce. The squid were tender and delicious, and of course, squid are rich in omega-3 fats and in minerals including selenium, copper and phosphorus.