STUFFED GRILLED CALAMARI

When properly cooked, this odd-looking mollusk is outstandingly delicious.

Ingredients: •16 medium (about 2 pounds total) calamari (squid) •2 tablespoons olive oil •1 (6-ounce) can tuna in olive oil, plus extra for brushing •2 garlic cloves, peeled •4 anchovy fillets •3 tablespoons chopped parsley •2 small eggs •⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese •Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste •1 cup dry unflavored bread crumbs mixed with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• Yield: 4 servings

Instructions:

Clean calamari. Hold calamari in one hand and gently pull away tentacles. Cut head just below eyes and discard hard little beak inside the tentacles. Remove the calamari pen. (This is actually a piece of cartilage that resembles clear plastic.) Clean inside of the body under cold running water, pulling out viscera and any matter still inside.Wash and peel away the grayish skin from body and tentacles. (The skin will come away easily from the body but not from tentacles. If it does not bother you, leave it there because it is edible.) Pat dry skin with paper towels. Reserve 12 calamari for stuffing. Cut remaining 4 calamari and half of the tentacles in small pieces. Heat oil in a small skillet. Add cut-up calamari and cook, stirring, 30 to 40 seconds. (Do not cook any longer or calamari will become tough.) Add calamari to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.Add tuna, garlic, anchovies, parsley, eggs and Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pulse on and off until smooth. Fill whole calamari with this mixture and secure the opening of each calamari with one or two wooden picks. (Calamari can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight, but they should be brought back to room temperature before grilling.) Prepare grill or barbecue. Brush calamari with oil and sprinkle lightly with the bread crumb mixture. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, turning calamari to grill on all sides. Baste a few times with olive oil. Serve hot.

#stuffed #grilled #calamari