Recipe: Calamari Steaks, Stuffed Squid (2) and Squid Salad a la Binh

Doreen: I have not tried these recipes:

Calamari steaks

Place a well cleaned and trimmed steak on
a board and pound with a meat tenderizer
until almost a mush. (It will "heal" when cooked!)

Dip first in beaten egg, then in spiced dry
bread crumbs and grated hard cheese. Saute on both
sides until golden brown.

"Sizzle" with a splash of dry white wine in
the frying pan, drain and serve as a main course.

Goes great with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc, fresh green beans and rice pilaf.

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Spicy Squid Strips

Slice well cleaned squid into strips approx 1/4" square and 6" long.
Beat some eggs (One or more depending on the quantity of squid)
Mix the eggs with "Sambal", an Indonesian pepper mix.
Marinade for 15-20 minutes. Put some corn starch in a paper bag, drop in some squid and shake to cover.

Deep fry until golden brown, drain and enjoy as an appetizer.

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Stuffed Squid

2 lbs whole squid
1 small onion (chopped)
olive oil
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup canned peeled tomatoes (drained
thoroughly)
0.5 cups chopped olives Italian

Seasonings: parsley oregano thyme basil bay
leaves Grated Romano/Parmesan Cheese 1 cup Italian seasoned
breadcrumbs salt, pepper can add crabmeat, shrimp, or scallops
if wanted

Clean squid chopping tentacles, arms, and fins; leave body tubes
whole. Saute onion in olive oil; add chopped squid, garlic,
tomatoes, grated cheese, and olives. Simmer until dry. Add
breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Stuff squid body tubes, set in
lightly oiled pan, cover with sauce, and sprinkle with grated
cheese. Bake 20 minutes at 450.

Serving Suggestions
Over linguini.

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Squid Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese
(from The Fish-Lover's Cookbook by Sheryl and Mel London)
Serves 6

12 squid, about 6 inches each, cleaned.
1/2 lb ricotta cheese
2 lbs fresh spinach, steamed lightly, and
liquid squeezed out
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 Tbl finely minced fresh parsley
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 Tbl olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1.5 lbs plum tomatoes, pureed in blender
1 Tbl tomato paste
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried
1.5 Tbl butter
3 Tbl pine nuts or sunflower seeds

Cut off tentacles so that you have just the body cavity. Make
sure to keep it whole so you can stuff it without leaks. Reserve
the tentacles.

Mix together the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, pepper, nutmeg,
parsley and egg. Set aside.

Heat the oil at medium in a large heavy skillet or saucepan.
Add the garlic. Stir and cook for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and add tomato paste. Lower heat and add rosemary.
Simmer sauce for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering, stuff the body of each squid only
about 1/3 full of the spinach/cheese mixture. If you overstuff
them, they will explode. You might also want to poke a hole or
two in the body of the squid. Fasten the opening of each squid
with a toothpick.

After the sauce has cooked, place the stuffed squid in the
simmering sauce. Add the tentacles to the sauce. Simmer for 3
to 4 minutes. Then turn carefully and simmer for an additional
3 minutes.

While the squid is cooking, melt the butter in a clean pan and
toss the pine nuts in the butter until golden. Watch carefully;
pine nuts have a tendancy to burn.

Lift out stuffed squid to a warm, flat serving dish with sides.
Spoon sauce around and garnish with pine nuts.

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Squid Salad a la Binh
(from Today's Gourmet II by Jacques Pepin)
Serves 4

1 lb squid, cleaned
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped fine (1 Tbl)
2-3 small Thai hot peppers, seeded and chopped (1/2 tsp)
1 cup very thinly sliced onions
3 Tbl lime juice
1/4 cup shredded fresh mint
1/4 cup shredded cilantro leaves
2 Tbl nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 large lettuce leaves

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Cut the body of
each squid crosswise into 1 inch slices and the tentacles into
1/2 inch pieces. Add the squid to the boiling water and cook
for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the water
comes back to a boil. Do not overcook as squid has a tendency
to get tough and chewy when overcooked. Drain immediately.

Combine the remaining ingredients except the lettuce in a serving
bowl large enough to hold the squid. Add the hot, drained squid
and toss until well mixed. Set aside for at least 10 minutes (but
best if marinated for 24 hours) stirring occasionally so that
the dish can develop flavor. Can be kept in the refrigerator for
4-5 days.

Serve on lettuce leaves.