Ingredients (serves 4)
1 ½ pounds baby squids (try to extract with care the bag of ink inside them, you will need it later. It can break easily, so it is a good idea to buy some extra ink.)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
6 tomatoes
1tbsp flour
½ cup white wine
parsley
2 shallots
1 cup of moist bread (soft part only)
2 cups of white cooked rice (round type, like sushi rice)
Preparation
STEP 1.- Clean the baby squids turning them inside out and removing the harder part in the center and the rest of the interior. Chop the legs off and keep aside. Discard the rest.
STEP 2.- Turn them again and cut off the lateral parts. Finely chop these and the legs.
STEP3.- Finely chop the shallots. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to the pan, wait until hot and add the shallots. Lower the temperature to medium and cook until golden brown.
STEP 4.- Add the chopped bits of the squids, stir and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the moist bread and keep stirring until all the ingredients are perfectly mixed. Cook for 5 minutes and set aside until cold.
STEP 5.- Use the mix to stuff the baby squids and close with a toothpick
STEP 6.- Chop the tomatoes, garlic, onion and parsley.
STEP 7.- Add some olive oil to a pot (about ¼ cup, enough to cover the bottom) and sauté the onion for a few minutes. When it starts getting slightly brown add the rest of the chopped ingredients and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the water released by the tomatoes is partially absorbed. Puree the sauce with the hand blender.
STEP 8 .- When the sauce is boiling again add the baby squid.
STEP 9.- Place the ink bags in a small strainer, and press them with the pestle until all the ink is out. Add 1 tbsp. flour and white wine to the ink, mix and pour into the sauce. If you don’t have enough ink from the baby squid to make the sauce deep, shiny black, use the one you bought in a small envelope or a jar.
STEP 10.- Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the squids are soft (depending on the size of the squid)
STEP 11.- Cook the white rice (avoid long grain rice, it will not stick together). Season with salt and a pinch of sugar, to make it a little stickier, and form 2×2 inch squares with the help of a mold or with your hands. Fry in abundant olive oil until golden brown.
STEP 12.- Place each squid on top of a rice square and use a small skewer stick to hold them together. Place on a small plate, cover with sauce and decorate with some parsley.
Tips
– You can also use a large squid and cut into 2×2 inch squares. Then you will have “calamares en su tinta”. Serve with white rice on the side.
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