Stuffed squid with marinated courgettes and Prosecco DOC

Please make sure the squid are clean – remove the guts, the skin and the beak from the tentacles.

Once the squid are prepped and rinsed prepare the toasted breadcrumbs. In a pan, fry the crushed garlic with a drizzle of olive oil and a couple of parsley stems. When golden, add the breadcrumbs and toast on medium heat for 4 minutes stirring every now and then. When lightly brown, remove from the stove and get rid of the garlic and parsley stems. Now season with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, chopped rosemary, lemon zest and the grated cheese. Mix well and keep aside.

I suggest using one of the squids for the stuffing plus any of the longer tentacles and wings that fell off the other squids.

Blend the squid in a powerful processor along with one egg. Now season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and mix with a couple of spoons of toasted breadcrumbs, a little chopped parsley, the zest of half a lemon and the grated cheese. When uniform, place the stuffing into a piping bag. It does not matter if it isn’t smooth, a rustic texture works well too in this case.

Proceed to stuff the remaining squid (do not overstuff them, 3 quarters full is ideal) making sure there aren’t air pockets. A good practice is to pierce the squid on the tail end to avoid it burst open during the cooking as the filling will increase in size.

Once the squids are full, close them up using a rosemary sprig or a toothpick. Dress the stuffed squids and their head with oil, salt and pepper and place them on a baking tray with an abundant sprinkle of toasted aromatic breadcrumbs. Bake at 180 degrees C. for about 12/15 minutes, until firm and lightly golden.

Now for the courgettes and the mint dressing.

In a blender blitz equal parts of basil and mint with a glug of olive oil and a pinch of salt. You need a loose paste texture. Now simply add a tsp of lemon zest and mix well.

Rinse and slice the courgettes very thinly. Either use a vegetable spiralizer or a kitchen mandoline to create a thin spaghetti-like shape.

To be pleasant when eaten raw, you need the courgette to be sliced thinly.

Dress at the last minute with a little salt, oil, pepper, a splash of lemon juice and the mint and basil oil. Serve and garnish with basil and mint leaves.

Let the cooked squid rest for 1 minute before serving them. Slice them if you please or serve them whole and drizzle with olive oil or the leftover mint and basil dressing.

Be sure to enjoy this recipe with a cold glass of Prosecco DOC.

Recipe by Danilo Cortellini

Tips

If you make more toasted breadcrumbs than you need, keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze them. It’s a great addition to gratinated fish or vegetables. Also, if you have leftover filling, it can be used to make squid polpette or even to stuff ravioli.