SQUID & RICE! This is straight from the hands of my yiayia! This recipe was originally yiayia's famous "stuffed squid" where she would stuff tiny little squid tubes with the rice and tomato mixture, but it took almost 2 hours of active work before you even started to cook! The stuffed squid was almost like a "treat" dinner at yiayia’s, because it would take forever to make. I really loved it and wanted it to be more of a weekly meal (and a forever recipe I can make for my family in years to come), but I couldn't spend 2-3 hours at night cooking it! I asked yiayia if there was ANY way we could keep the love/flavours but make it easier (the love is SO important!)... so we created a way that it's just as delicious, but now it's 30 minutes max, one pan and the most delicious, hearty and fancy dinner ever (but it won't break the bank either!). This reminds me so so much of when we'd go to yiayia’s as kids, see stuffed squid on the table and we'd all rush to sit down and eat. I love this recipe, it really really feels like home and I'm so glad that now we can enjoy this meal every week! Dinner time with my family is so important, and it should be for you too! Get this on your dinner table!
Serves: 4
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
4 medium whole squid, gutted and cleaned (tentacles included!) and sliced into rings
1 medium brown onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, whole
1 large handful of parsley leaves
1 large handful of fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste
500g tomato passata sauce
2.5 cups of water
½ cup basmati rice, uncooked & rinsed
Generous pinches of salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a food processor, add the onion, garlic, parsley and mint. Blitz until finely chopped.
- In a pot, heat olive oil over medium to high heat. Add the onion mixture into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Add the squid tentacles into the food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add these into the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir. Add tomato passata and half of the water. Heat through for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rinsed basmati rice and cook for 15 minutes. Continually stir and add more water as it needs.
- Just before the rice is ready, add the squid rings into the pot and stir. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until they’re completely cooked through and the mixture begins to thicken.
Serve with bread!
