Seppie Ripiene di Zucchina & Mollica con Pomodorini, Finocchio & Peperone
Breadcrumb & Zucchini-Stuffed Squid with Cherry Tomatoes, Fennel & Peppers
Another veritable feast and an exquisite looking dish, which is basically a real "poor peoples" meal to be honest... my absolute favorite kind of food!
These are all healthy and simple ingredients and each and every one of them inexpensive- right down to those beautiful "pineapple-cut! squid... and what's more- this only takes 30 minutes to make!
We have so many dishes in Sicily, in fact the whole of Italy, which make use of humble bread-crumbs to make satisfying fillings... a method dating back to the great depression maybe... but still with us until today and most always bringing great joy!
I had 4 frozen pineapple squid, 1 small zucchini, 1 cup of bread crumbs, 4 mini peppers in red and yellow, 10 cherry tomatoes, 2 Spring onions, 1/2 of a bulb of fennel, a little fresh parsley and 2 glasses of wine that went into making this dish... or should I say, feast!
Can you see the color of the breadcrumbs? That comes from the zucchini and onion that infuse them with flavor- and you will be amazed at just how flavorful those three otherwise rather bland ingredients become together! That is the best part about this- how suddenly special such simple things can become!
So, begin by finely grating the zucchini...
Add the bread crumbs, 1 of the Spring onions, a good pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper and mix together well.
Once everything is nicely mixed, let it sit for the next few minutes, whilst you prepare the pepper, fennel and tomato, for the crumbs to soak up all of the juices of the onion and zucchini.
Spoon plenty of the filling into the squid and squeeze firmly shut. If necessary, use a little kitchen thread or a clip to help keep them held together during cooking.
Next, turn on your oven nice and hot (200°C) to get it ready and slice up the peppers, fennel, onion and tomatoes ready to go.
Fry them in a nice splash of olive oil with plenty of salt and pepper for 5-6 minutes.
Next, deglaze the base of the frying pan with a glass of white wine, stir everything through well and add the stuffed squid to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, add a little more pepper and pop on the lid for everything to steam together for 9-10 minutes.
Remove the lid and transfer to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the crumbs on the outer surface begin to turn brown.
And 10 minutes later, there you have it- an exquisite dish of beautiful and tasty food as if by magic!
Oh yes- and a glass of ice-cold white wine would go very well with this- yes indeedy!
Breadcrumb & Zucchini-Stuffed Squid with Cherry Tomatoes, Fennel & Peppers
Another veritable feast and an exquisite looking dish, which is basically a real "poor peoples" meal to be honest... my absolute favorite kind of food!
These are all healthy and simple ingredients and each and every one of them inexpensive- right down to those beautiful "pineapple-cut! squid... and what's more- this only takes 30 minutes to make!
We have so many dishes in Sicily, in fact the whole of Italy, which make use of humble bread-crumbs to make satisfying fillings... a method dating back to the great depression maybe... but still with us until today and most always bringing great joy!
I had 4 frozen pineapple squid, 1 small zucchini, 1 cup of bread crumbs, 4 mini peppers in red and yellow, 10 cherry tomatoes, 2 Spring onions, 1/2 of a bulb of fennel, a little fresh parsley and 2 glasses of wine that went into making this dish... or should I say, feast!
Can you see the color of the breadcrumbs? That comes from the zucchini and onion that infuse them with flavor- and you will be amazed at just how flavorful those three otherwise rather bland ingredients become together! That is the best part about this- how suddenly special such simple things can become!
So, begin by finely grating the zucchini...
Add the bread crumbs, 1 of the Spring onions, a good pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper and mix together well.
Once everything is nicely mixed, let it sit for the next few minutes, whilst you prepare the pepper, fennel and tomato, for the crumbs to soak up all of the juices of the onion and zucchini.
Spoon plenty of the filling into the squid and squeeze firmly shut. If necessary, use a little kitchen thread or a clip to help keep them held together during cooking.
Next, turn on your oven nice and hot (200°C) to get it ready and slice up the peppers, fennel, onion and tomatoes ready to go.
Fry them in a nice splash of olive oil with plenty of salt and pepper for 5-6 minutes.
Next, deglaze the base of the frying pan with a glass of white wine, stir everything through well and add the stuffed squid to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, add a little more pepper and pop on the lid for everything to steam together for 9-10 minutes.
Remove the lid and transfer to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the crumbs on the outer surface begin to turn brown.
And 10 minutes later, there you have it- an exquisite dish of beautiful and tasty food as if by magic!
Oh yes- and a glass of ice-cold white wine would go very well with this- yes indeedy!
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