Black dinner… Who is up for it ? Don’t be shy..  You got to try this!!! Even if you have to close your eyes or eat in the dark…. The flavors of ink dishes are simply stunning.

You may have come across Calamares (Squid) or Sepia (Cuttle fish) en su tinta while travelling Meridional countries… It is a popular cooking ingredient in Spain, Portugal, Italy, were they never let tasty go to waste.

This squid stew looks a lot more technical that it is… But all it is, is a little touch (sachets) of Black Magic….

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Squid ( 300-500 g per serving ) must be cleaned Or Ready to cook Squid (200-300 g each)

Squid ink sachet (1 sachet per 300-400 gr squid)

200 ml water, 200 ml White wine, Couple spoonful of olive oil

2-3 Good size chopped onions, 2 handful cherry tomatoes,  2 crushed Garlic cloves, few slices of Lemon

Seasoning to taste + (optional fresh Chili, flakes or powder but not too much you want to taste that ink)

METHOD:

1/ Clean the squid & cut in rings. (Squids naturally contains ink sachets, try to recover them if possible to add to the dish later)

2/ Dilute the ink sachets in 200 ml warm water.

2/ Olive oil in a deep pan, brown you onions, add Garlic, Squid and cook at high heat for 4-5 minutes,

3/ Add wine, ink water, cherry tomatoes,

4/ Mix , cover, stew on gentle heat for 30 minutes. Add the lemon slices and check and adjust seasoning

5/ The Stew will take another 20-30 minutes cooking, but a this stage feel free to remove the lid to reduce, concentrate and thicken the sauce.

The thicker it will get… The darker and stickier on the pieces of squid .

6/ Serve with pasta, rice, bread, or  anything helping out mopping up the sauce…

TIP: Like any Squid casserole, it taste great on the day, but if you can prepare this 24 hours in advance. you will have Magic AND fireworks …. enjoy !!!  =)