An intensely flavored, dry-cured ham like Spanish serrano, Italian prosciutto, or American Smithfield goes wonderfully with the sweet taste of shellfish. Here it combines with garlicky bread crumbs as a stuffing for squid.

Squid Stuffed with Ham

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon,/span> dry bread crumbs
• 2 ounces dry-cured ham, sliced thin but not paper-thin
• 1 pound squid, cleaned
• 1⁄4 cup tomato sauce

 

Time Estimates

Prep time: 15 min  

Cook time: 25 min  

Total time: 40 min  

 

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until soft but not browned.
3. Add the garlic and parsley and cook another minute or so, just to take the raw edge off the garlic.
4. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs. Let cool.
5. Cut the ham into pieces about two thirds of the length of your squid bodies.
6. Top each slice with some of the bread-crumb mixture, roll it slightly to hold the filling, and insert it into a squid.
7. Tuck one of the tentacle clusters into the opening of each stuffed squid, then run a toothpick through it crosswise to close the opening and trap the tentacles.
8. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the squid until they begin to shrink and turn opaque white, about 2 minutes on the first side.
9. Turn, add the tomato sauce, and cook another 2 minutes.
10. Transfer the stuffed squid to a plate, remove the toothpicks, and spoon the sauce over all. If you have any leftover ham, cut it into thin slivers and scatter it over the dish.

Yield

4-6 as an appetizer

 

Good to know

Because the stuffing is on the dry side, I skip the usual pastry bag technique and simply roll the other ingredients in a thin slice of ham and then pop the whole assembly inside.

 

Also from The Microbrew Lover's Cookbook: 

• From the Beer Belt

• Pizza and Beyond

• From the Spice Bazaar

• Malt and Hops, Meet Ginger and Soy

• From the Home of the Chile Pepper

• Beer in the Melting Pot

 

Go back to The Microbrew Lover's Cookbook index page.

 

The Microbrew Lover’s Cookbook 

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From The Microbrew Lover’s Cookbook, Copyright © 2002 by Jay Harlow. Used by arrangement with Jay Harlow.

 

 

Photo: denovich/Flickr