Baked Calamari With Rice, Mint And Currants

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 12 medium squid, whole
• 1 1/4 cups olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup rice (arborio or calrose)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup currants, dried
• 1 1/2 cups dry wine
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper, coarsely ground

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325°.
• 2 this first part seems a bit gross, but it's not…really. to clean the squid grasp the head just below the eyes, pull it out from the rest of the body (the "mantle"), and set it aside. pull away the thin purplish membrane on the outside of the mantle. pull out and discard any "entrails" and the thin cartilage from the inside. try to get it in one piece. it's easier that way to get it all. remove back fins gently, trying not to rip holes in the mantle. if the mantles are torn they will split open when baked. rinse well.
• 3 cut tentacles off just below the eyes. push beak out, remove, and finely mince the remaining tentacles. reserve. these will be sautéed in the stuffing later.
• 4 cook the rice in 2 cups of water and a little salt. cover, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes. let sit off the heat for 5 minutes.
• 5 meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil and saute onion until softened. add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. add the currants, pine nuts and chopped tentacles. season with half the salt and pepper. cook until the squid has turned opaque (a little pink). add the wine and cook until it evaporates.
• 6 stir in the cooked rice, mint and cayenne. mix to incorporate all the ingredients well. taste and adjust seasoning.
• 7 carefully fill the prepared squid tubes to 3/4 full. they will shrink when cooking. you can do it with a spoon but it's messy and takes forever. i use a plastic bag with the corner cut off. fill with stuffing mixture, snip off the corner, stick the end in each tube and squeeze. much easier.
• 8 place the filled tubes side by side in a 9x13 baking dish. sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. pour remaining 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of wine around the squid.
• 9 cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. serve with a little of the olive oil/wine mixture drizzled on top.