I spent a lot of 2013 cooking with friends in Puglia. Last year it seemed like I was either cooking in Provence or cooking in Puglia. I certainly can't complain. Last year was so good, I'll be repeating the theme again in 2014!
Italian mamme, chefs, cheesemakers, winemakers, olive oil producers, and many other food lovers in Puglia have not only opened their hearts and kitchens up to me, but they've invited you to join us there to cook, break bread and explore their region in the sunny heal of Italy. Again in this year (and 2015 - dates coming soon), we'll be offering culinary vacations to Puglia. Many of you have joined me over the past 2 years, and I hope many more of you will. In either case, I'll continue to share here some of the recipes and introduce you to many of my friends in Puglia.
In the kitchen and at the table with Maria Grazia
Today's recipe comes from Maria Grazia in Manduria. I visited her at her stunning masseria, which she and her family restored and now run, Masseria Potenti. From her personally decorated kitchen, one filled with a kaleidoscope of colors and vegetables and herbs piled high one upon another or hanging from the rafters, we cooked some of her favorite recipes. In an earlier post, I shared Maria Grazia's recipe for herbed wreath bread from our day of cooking. Today, I'm sharing this stuffed calamari dish, the main course of our meal together. Before I even tasted the dish, I loved how bright and vibrant it was and how the stuffing brought together some of Italy's and Puglia's best ingredients - and ones you wouldn't necessarily think to combine with calamari: cherry tomatoes, Pugliese olives and olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and mozzarella cheeses. Although, it breaks the Italian "no cheese with fish rule" and the combination works well.
The Italian flavors meld together with the calamari to create a sweet, salty and creamy stuffing. The remaining stuff, the extra stuffing, handful of olives and tomatoes, and olive oil, you use to surround the calamari creates one of the richest sauces ever, baking together with the calamari juices. It's also a very easy dish to make, taking no more than 30 minutes prep and cook time. Start with cleaned calamari. Mix all the stuffing ingredients in a bowl, stuff the calamari, garnish and bake for 10-15 minues. I've made it several times since my day with Maria Grazia and it is one of my favorites. It's even changed the minds of those squemish about squid to full-fledged calamari-loving converts.
Stuffed Calamari {Calamari Ripieni}
(Serves 4 people)
4 whole calamari, cleaned with the tentacles removed
For the stuffing:
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cubed
4 tentacles of the calamari, cleaned and roughly chopped
20 olives, pitted and roughly chopped or quartered (reserve a handful of whole olives for the garnish)
15 cherry tomatoes, quartered (reserve a handful of whole cherry tomatoes for the garnish)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for the garnish
About 1/3 cup whole milk, plus more if needed
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
1 egg
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 sprigs of thyme
Preheat an oven to 350°F
To make the stuffing, in a bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, both cheeses, calamari tentacles, olives, cherry tomatoes, and parsley. Add the milk. The consistency should be fairly wet/loose. Add more milk if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg to bind the stuffing.
Stuff each calamari fairly full and close each with two toothpicks (toothpicks should have been soaking in water). There will be stuffing left over. Place the stuffed calamari in a baking dish and the extra stuffing and reserved handfuls of olives and tomatoes around the calamari. Drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil over the calamari and garnish. Place the sprigs of thyme on top of the calamari. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with a little chopped parsley. Slice the calamari in 3/4-inch medallions. Serve with the "sauce" created from the extra stuffing, olive oil and garnish. Buon Appetito!
Other dishes from lunch with Maria Grazia: Focaccia & Herbed Wreath Bread, Orecchiette with cima di rape (broccoli rabe), a tortino of potatoes and other seasonal vegetables, Ricotta & Marmalade tart
Cook with Italian friends like Maria Grazia and me in Puglia! It's an amazing 9-day/8 night Food & Wine Lover's Culinary Tour - It'll be a food frenzy, cooking party and also a history & cultural lesson through food and wine. You'll have "backstage-pass" entrance to kitchens and Italian homes and immerse yourself in the food and culture of Puglia!
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Other Posts on Puglia You Might Like:
The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata
Focaccia di Patate {Potato Focaccia} from Puglia
Lemon and Olive Oil Cake from Puglia
Herb Wreath Bread and Cooking with Mamma Maria in Puglia
Cheese in Puglia - Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento
Artisanal Cheese at Masseria CinqueSanti in Puglia
Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia
Tour of Masseria L'Astore and its Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento
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