We love squid and are not sure why people don’t cook it more often. It’s cheap and sustainable, and this sweet and sour version is delicious! We served with some plain couscous.
Wine Suggestion: This is excellent with a youthful and medium bodied Sangiovese with its bright acidity. Instead of looking to Tuscany tonight, we had a Corsican Niellucio which is the same grape
Slow-cooked squid with peperonata and butter beans – serves 4 to 6
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 red, yellow or orange peppers, a mixture ideally, deseeded and sliced
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 100g soft cooking chorizo, finely chopped
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 4 sprigs thymes
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 50ml red wine vinegar
- 25g caster sugar
- 500ml passata
- 400g squid, cleaned and sliced (we used a packet of frozen squid tubes, defrosted)
- 1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
- a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the peppers and onions over a medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until very soft, stir now and then and add a splash of water if they start to catch.
Add the chorizo and chilli flakes and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chorizo has released its oil. Add the thyme, garlic, and bay, and simmer for another couple of minutes, then add the vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the passata, then swirl a splash of water round the jar and add that too. Season and bring to a simmer.
Stir the squid into the simmering sauce, then cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 1 hour. If the liquid doesn’t cover the squid you can add a splash of water. Check after the hour to see if the squid is tender but don’t let it go to mush.
Stir in the butter beans and check the seasoning, then simmer, uncovered, to thicken the sauce a little. Cook for another 10 minutes, then stir in the parsley and serve with couscous or crusty bread.
(Original recipe by Anna Glover in Olive Magazine, September 2021.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 