By Anthony Lamberti
Italian stuffed calamari is one of the greatest delicacies Italy has. Parties, get togethers, and restaurants―these are great places where this amazing appetizer is usually eaten. Everyone loves this fish, especially Italians. Its crisp taste and flavour attracts people to want more and not forget to order it at your next family party.
Growing up in my large Italian family, where everyone loves to eat, stuffed calamari was programmed in our head, for how good it tastes. We always manage to take our time to make them and make sure there’s always enough so everyone is happy. This recipe is very special because it has been passed down from generation to generation. It holds a title in my family’s heart because it reminds us about the memories we had making them. It feels great to know how recipes like this one represents my family and their Italian roots back in Italy.
Calamari squids are delicious and it sounds more difficult than it is! Once you get the hang of filling the sacks, it gets easy. It is definitely a recipe worth trying!
Recipe
Ingredients
– 12 medium-sized squids
– 6 tbsp olive oil
– ⅓ cup bread crumbs
– 2 garlic heads, chopped up in many pieces
– 2 tbsp fresh oregano, crumbled
– 2 tbsp parsley, chopped into many pieces
– ¼ tsp salt
– ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
– ¼ cup of pecarino-romano cheese, freshly grated
– 2 cups marinara tomato sauce
Procedure
- Cut out the tentacles and wings of the squids.
- Clean the squid inside properly inside-out.
- Remove the spotted skin around the squid.
- In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Stuff the squid with the bread crumbs. Be careful when stuffing―don’t overfill, be fragile, or else the body will break.
- In a medium skillet, pour the tomato sauce plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Carefully place the stuffed squid in the sauce and spoon sauce over the squid. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook the squid for 4 minutes on each side. Don’t stir the squid too much.
- Turn the heat to low and gently stir in any remaining bread crumbs.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with pecarino-romano cheese
- Serve warm, with love and care.
Photo source: http://www.bralowsfish.com/resources/_wsb_486x334_stuffed+calamari.jpg
