Slow cooked squids, tomatoes, olives and preserved lemons by Norma

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Slow cooked squids, tomatoes, olives and preserved lemons

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Slow cooked squids, tomatoes, olives and preserved lemons

Italian

Main

Over 2 hours

Seafood

Easy

Serves

Squids are normally associated with fast cooking such as grilling or frying, this recipes requires the squid to be slow cooked in a bright and sunny tomato and olive sauce until rich and tender. The Moorish influence comes from aromatic fennel seeds and bay and the sour salty tang of preserved lemons- which are as popular in Italy as Morocco- salting and preserving lemons was a method used by the moors during the lemon harvest to ensure lemons were available year round.

This southern Italian style preparation is also perfect with cuttlefish and octopus as the base.

Recipe courtesy of

Ingredients

600g plum vine tomatoes- eyed
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
800g fresh, cleaned squid cut into chunks
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tsp tomato paste
125ml white wine
1 red chilli, chopped with seeds
100g pitted green olives
100g preserved lemon, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
Seasalt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Method

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Method

Heat an oven to 160C
Boil a pan of water and blanche the tomatoes for a minute until the skins peel off. Drain and leave to cool for a few minutes before discarding the skins and roughly chopping the flesh.
Heat a large casserole or oven proof panover a low-medium heta and add a lug of olive oil. Cook the onions and garlic slowly for a few minutes to soften- without colour and then add the parsley stalks, bay, chilli, fennel seeds and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring as you go and then add the wine. Reduce by half and then add the chopped tomatoes.
Bring to a simmer and then stir in the squid and season well with salt and pepper. Place on the lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. After one hour add the olives and leave the lid off.
When the stew is ready- the sauce should be thick and rich and the squid tender, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes before stirring in the preserved lemon and parsley.
Serve on slices of my home made, toasted sobbrassada bread (in the cookbook) or toasted ciabbata grilled with olive oil.