Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/589122
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2015 14 Food New ideas with an old favourite – calamari Calamari are a local favourite. This fish is both tasty and sustainable so at Gourmet Today TV, we are all for the humble calamari. In last week's episode, Sean Gravina gives this deep-fried favourite a Japanese twist: marinated in soy and sake and deep-fried and then served with a wasabi flavoured mayo. He then makes a simple dish of stuffed calamari. His stuffing consists of wild rice, saffron and peppers and makes an impressive main course Deep-fried calamari with Japanese mayo Ingredients • 2 local calamari (about 800g) • 50ml soy sauce • 50ml sake • 1 tsp ginger, finely grated • 1 small garlic clove, crushed • 150ml rice flour • Peanut oil, for deep- frying Japanese mayo • 4 tbsp mayo • 1 tsp wasabi (to taste) • 1 tsp ginger, grated • 1 tsp coriander Method 1. Remove innards from squid by pulling tentacles from the body. 2. Cut across the head, underneath the eyes, to separate tentacles in one piece (discard innards and eyes). 3. Push tentacles outwards, squeeze beak out (discard), cut each tentacle into 3 pieces, place in a bowl and set aside. 4. Slice wings from the body, then remove skin and trim tough flesh (discard). Halve wings and add to tentacles. 5. Remove skin from the tube by running your finger underneath the skin, separating it from flesh, then peeling off in one piece (discard). 6. Remove backbone from tube, cut tube open so it lays flat, then scrape out insides (discard). 7. With your knife on an angle, cut the tube diagonally into thin bite- sized pieces and add to tentacles. 8. Add soy, sake, ginger and garlic and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate. 9. Heat oil in a wok or deep- sided saucepan to 170˚C. 10. Drain squid well, toss in flour, shake off excess, then deep-fry in batches, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp (2-4 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Drain on absorbent paper. 11. To make the Japanese mayo mix together all of the ingredients. 12. Serve the calamari hot with lemon wedges. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 18 October, 2015 Serves 4 Ingredients • 8 calamari tubes • 20 clams • 125ml white wine • 500ml prawn stock • 100g unsalted butter • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped • 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced • 1 green pepper deseeded and diced • 100g mixed basmati with wild rice, soaked over night in cold water • Pinch of saffron strands • 2 free-range egg yolks • 4 medium squid, cleaned • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped • 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped • 1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped • Vegetable oil • Salt and pepper Method 1. Scrub the clams well, then put them in a large pan with the white wine. 2. Cover and steam the clams for a few minutes until just done – discard any that haven't opened. 3. Pick out the meat from the shells and set aside. 4. Add the cooking juices from the pan to the prawn stock. 5. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. 6. Melt half a tablespoon of the butter in a heavy-based pan that goes into the oven and gently cook the chopped onion and diced peppers until tender. 7. Add the rice and stir until it is all coated with the butter, then pour in 200ml of the prawn stock. 8. Season with the saffron, salt and pepper, then loosely cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 9. Set aside to cool. 10. When the rice is cool, stir in the egg yolks to bind the stuffing together. 11. Fill the squid with the rice stuffing, carefully pushing it in with out damaging the body. Close the opening of each with a wooden cocktail stick. 12. Bring the rest of the prawn stock to a simmer in a wide pan and gently cook the stuffed squid in the stock for 4-5minuted until tender. 13. Transfer a few ladlefuls of liquid to a small pan and boil until reduced to a sauce consistency. 14. Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a pan with the garlic, shallot and parsley. 15. Toss the mussels in the garlicky butter to warm them through. In a separate pan, you can also fry the squid tentacles if you like in a little oil until crispy. 16. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the shaped squid into thick slices and serve the clams, fried tentacles and sauce. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 18 October, 2015 Stuffed calamari with saffron wild rice