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Squid picci pacchi
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 3 medium squid with tentacles (total weight around 550g), cleaned
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
- 6tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
- 1⁄2tsp peperoncino (Sicilian chilli flakes)
- 2tbsp white wine
- few handfuls baby spinach
- leaves from 10 oregano sprigs (stalks discarded)
- 11⁄2tbsp nonpareille capers
- 2tbsp taggiasche olives (pitted, if you wish)
- 400g King Edward potatoes, cooked
Method
Cut the squid bodies into 1cm rings, the wings in two and the tentacles in half lengthways. Dry the squid on sheets of kitchen paper and then set aside. To make the sauce, put the garlic into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the oil over a medium heat. When it sizzles, stir quickly to break up and add the tomatoes and peperoncino. Cook over a high heat for around 3 minutes then add the wine and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add the oregano, capers and the olives. Set aside and keep warm.
Smash the potatoes into rough pieces. Heat a large frying pan and add the remaining oil, quickly followed by the potatoes. Fry until golden all over and scatter with black pepper. Keep hot.
Heat a wok until smoking, add 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the squid (in batches if necessary) for around 3 minutes until tender (don’t overcook or the squid will be tough and rubbery). Add to the sauce with any juices. Serve with the smashed potatoes.
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