Mediterranean Stuffed Calamari

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As a girl who was born and raised in a coastal Mediterranean town, I developed a special love for seafood. I remember I used to go to the restaurant with my family and I ordered some type of seafood dish every time.  
So for today’s dinner I’ve chosen stuffed calamari (squid) as one of my favorite childhood memories, but this time, homemade by me.

This recipe is suitable for 3 full servings and just because it has more than 5 ingredients doesn’t mean it’s going to take forever to prepare.
Ingredients:













Calamari: 9 medium (well cleaned)
Canned tomatoes: 100 gr. (diced)
Onion: 1 (finely chopped)
Feta cheese: 70 gr. (crumbled)
Gouda cheese: 100 gr. (grated)
Red pepper: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Parsley:  3 tbsp (chopped)
Garlic: 5 cloves (finely chopped)
White wine: 1 cup
extra virgin Olive oil: 6 tbsp.
Salt & pepper: just a little

Preparation:
       Make sure you’ve cleaned the squids very well and separate & chop only their tentacles finely. (if you want a post on explaining how to do that, feel free to let me know in the comments below)

    
  • Put the chopped onion and saute` it in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on a medium-high heat.
  •     Once the onion becomes golden and a bit translucent, add the chopped red pepper and keep saute’-ing for about 2 more minutes.
  •     Now you can add the calamari tentacles and stir until they become firmer and whiter.
  •     At this time you should add the white wine and let it cook for 5-6 minutes.
  •     By the time you add the diced canned tomato, don’t forget to sprinkle some salt    & pepper to your liking. 
  •    Continue cooking it for 5 more minutes and add the garlic and parsley. Stir it for 2-3 minutes and let it sit. It should not be too hot by the time we add the cheeses, because it would melt the Gouda cheese and it would be hard to combine them together.
  •    While you wait for that sauce to cool down, preheat the oven to 170°C.
  •    Add the Feta & Gouda cheese to the sauce and mix it well.


  •  Fill the calamari with the filling you just made and close them with a toothpick. (Don’t over stuff them, because it will shrink in size and then will explode.

   

  • Lay them on a casserole, sprinkle some salt & pepper, drizzle 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on top and put them in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
                                       
                         Serve them over a bed of arugula tossed with olive oil and lemon.


                                                                   ENJOY!!

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