Squid with Tomato & Mint
When I got home from Rome last December, I wanted to make a tripa a la Romana but had no audience at home for the dish. So, I tried it with veal breast and with chicken—both were superb low and slow long-time braised affairs. Then I made this version one night and was impressed with the freshness and the speed of the dish. I love it. For those used to cooking squid, try broiling in the sauté pan to char them. For those squid cooking novices, remember squid needs to be flown through a warm kitchen, metaphorically speaking, to avoid serving rubber bouncing balls.
Squid with Tomato & Mint
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound squid, cleaned, bodies cut into 1/3-inch rings and tentacles left whole
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery leaves and tender stalks
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 4 mint sprigs, stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
In a very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the squid with salt and pepper. Add the squid to the skillet and cook over high heat, tossing once, until just cooked, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Add the cherry tomatoes, carrot, shallots and crushed red pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the celery, wine and half of the mint; cook until almost dry, 1 minute. Add the tomato puree and bring to a simmer. Add the squid, season with salt and pepper and simmer just until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining mint. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread.
Originally published in Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures on foodandwine.com.
Photograph by Madeleine Hill.
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