Ever since Melissa was here in Rome I have squid on the brain. When we were discussing what she should cook during the cooking classes she lead, her first choice was squid. As she rightly said, “People are scared of squid, they just don’t know how easy it is to cook. I can show them.” But somehow, we just never made it to squid. So I was left wanting.
I’ve been making up for lost time by cooking it about every other day for the last two weeks. Since a new fish shop opened up in the market across the street from our home in Rome, it’s beyond easy to run over and pick up a pound of squid. Not only do they always have it, they happily clean it for me so it’s ready to go.
When it comes to squid there are two ways to cook it so that it is tender. You can either stew it long and slow (as in this recipe) or else cook it over high heat, quick and fast. Anything in between the two results in the rubbery texture many people associate with squid.
The following recipe takes advantage of spring artichokes. After trimming and cooking the artichokes with a bit of olive oil and garlic, you throw in the cut up squid at the last minute and cook for just 90 seconds. Really. That’s all it takes. The squid turn from sort of translucent to opaque, and you’re done.
The pairing of squid with greens in a Tuscan tradition, and one I’ve written about in the past here. Calamari in Inzimino is one of the slow stewed dishes, where the squid braises along with the greens to form a kind of stew. . But since I wanted to use artichokes, and didn’t want them to completely fall apart, I opted for the quick method of cooking instead.
This is definitely a spring time dish, and while I used artichokes here, I’m going to be trying it out with asparagus and peas as the season moves forward. Because I still have squid on the brain and I don’t see being cured any time soon.
squid and artichokes
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4
Ingredients
- 6 large globe artichokes
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 bunch of mint, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds of squid, cleaned
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
Instructions
Before you begin trim your artichokes, removing the tough outer leaves, to reveal the inner tender core. Squeeze half of one of the lemons into a big bowl of water, and as you trim the artichokes rub then with the other half and place them in the water. (see this post for more details).
Once you've got them trimmed, Pour the olive oil in a 10 to 12 inch skillet and heat over medium low heat.
One by one take the artichokes out of the water, pat dry, and cut in quarters, Remove any choke and then slice thinly, length wise. As you cut, add them to the pan with oil, and stir.
Once you have added all the artichokes, add the salt, and raise the heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook until tender. This can take from 10 to 20 minutes depending on your artichokes.In the meantime cut your cleaned squid into 1x1 inch size pieces. If the tentacles are large then cut them in half.
Once the artichokes are tender, add half the mint and garlic. Let cook 2 minutes more, then add the squid.
Stir and cook for 90 seconds over medium high heat. Add the wine and cook for 45 seconds more.
Turn off the heat and add the rest of the mint, and a few squeezes of lemon to taste. You can also add some freshly grated lemon zest if you have some untreated organic lemons.
Stir and serve immediately.
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