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Cuttlefish with meatballs and peas
Serves 6 as a starter Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 6tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 90ml dry white wine
- 1 large vine-ripened or beef tomato (about 200g), grated
- 2tsp tomato purée
- 15g slice crustless white bread
- 1½ tbsp milk
- 2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 225g minced chicken
- 225g minced pork
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 6 large shell-on raw prawns
- 375g cleaned cuttlefish, cut into 2cm-wide strips
- 150ml chicken stock or water
- 100g shelled peas, fresh or frozen
For the picada
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
- 10g slice crustless white bread
- 10g toasted blanched almonds
- 1 small vine-ripened or beef tomato, grated
- 1tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
To serve
- crusty fresh bread
Method
For the picada, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and bread and fry, turning over now and then, until golden brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl of a mini food processor with the almonds, grated tomato, parsley and 1tbsp cold water. Blend to a paste and set aside.
For the tomato sauce, put 2tbsp of the oil, half the garlic and the onion into a saucepan and fry for 10 minutes until soft, sweet and lightly golden. Add the wine, grated tomato and tomato purée and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes until reduced and thickened.
For the meatballs, tear the bread into a small bowl, sprinkle with the milk and leave until soft. Break up the bread with your fingers and add the remaining chopped garlic, the parsley, minced chicken and pork, nutmeg and ½tsp each of salt and black pepper. Mix together well and shape into 2.5-3cm balls.
Heat 2tbsp of oil, add the meatballs and fry for 3 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until golden brown. Set aside on a plate. Discard any oil left in the pan. Heat another tbsp of oil in the pan, add the prawns and fry for 1 minute on each side until just cooked through. Set aside on a plate. Add another tbsp of oil to the pan, then the cuttlefish and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until it is nicely caramelised and just cooked through. Set aside with the prawns.
Add the tomato sauce to the pan, stir in the picada and simmer for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the stock or water and bring to the boil, stirring. Add the peas, meatballs and cuttlefish and season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter over the prawns and simmer for 5 minutes until any remaining liquid has reduced and everything has heated through. Serve with crusty fresh bread.
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