Cooking with Love

Mama's Stuffed Calamari

This is a fish dish my mother prepared for us every once in a while. When she made it, I couldn't get enough. When I got married my husband wanted me to make them his Mama's style. I had his mother's and they were good, but I favored my mother's way. Just to make it fair, I made them both ways. This is my mother's recipe:

2 lbs whole, cleaned calamari

Separate the tentacles, set aside

1/2 onion, chopped

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

In bowl, add:

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

Directions:

Scramble eggs, add rest of ingredients. Should resemble thick oatmeal. Should be moldable in texture.

Pat dry the calamari tubes. With spoon, fill each tube with the stuffing. Secure the top with toothpick. Fill 1/2 way. The egg will expand and fill it while cooking.

Pat dry the tentacles.

Pour some oil in large pot. Add chopped onion and let the onion cook slowly until translucent. Add the tentacles and brown in onions. At this point, you can add some wine and reduce till the smell of the wine is gone.

Add the crushed tomatoes and add salt to taste.

Add some fresh parsley right into the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slowly slip in the stuffed Calamari, making sure they are separate from each other.

Let the calamari cook, while gently stirring the pot every 5 minutes. The sauce should be done after 35 -40 minutes.

You can make linguine or fettuccine and pour sauce on top, while serving the calamari on the side. Slice the calamari and don't forget to remove toothpicks.