Chipirones en su Tinta

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp paring knife
• •Wide heavy casserole with lid (about 28cm)
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Immersion blender
• •Small bowl for the ink
• •Wooden cocktail sticks

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the squid

   Set a fine sieve over a small bowl. Pull each head and tentacle cluster gently from its mantle so the body stays whole. Lift the slender silver-black ink sac from the innards and place it in the sieve. Cut the tentacles from the head just below the eyes, push out the hard beak from their centre, and discard the eyes and innards. Pull the transparent quill from each mantle, rinse the cavity briefly in cold water, and dry everything thoroughly.

   If an ink sac breaks, nadie nace sabiendo, nobody is born knowing. Work over the bowl, scrape in what you can, and rely on the measured ink sachets for the rest.
2. 2

   Fill the bodies

   Tuck each set of tentacles loosely inside its matching mantle, leaving room for the squid to contract. Secure the opening with a wooden cocktail stick. Set aside any tentacles that do not fit and cook them beside the filled bodies. Do not pack them tightly or the mantles may split.

3. 3

   Colour the squid

   Heat 20ml of the olive oil in a wide heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Sear the dried squid in two or three batches, about 45 seconds on each side, just until the skins take a little colour. Transfer them to a plate. Keep every dark juice they release; it belongs in the sauce.

   Crowd the casserole and the squid boil in their own water before the sauce exists. Give them room, especially if they were frozen.
4. 4

   Cook the sofrito

   Lower the heat and add the remaining 40ml olive oil, the onions, green pepper, and 4g of the salt. Cook gently for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the squid juices, until the vegetables are dark gold, jammy, and almost dry. This sofrito, the slow onion base, decides the dish: its sweetness rounds the mineral edge of the ink. If the onions catch before softening, add one tablespoon of water and keep going.

5. 5

   Finish the base

   Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes without browning it. Stir in the grated tomato and torn bread, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomato has lost its raw smell and no watery liquid remains. Pour in the wine and boil gently for about 4 minutes, until reduced by half.

6. 6

   Make the black sauce

   Whisk the measured ink into the water or light fish stock. Press the reserved natural ink sacs through the sieve into this liquid, then discard the membranes. Pour the black liquid into the casserole and simmer for 12 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth, then pass the sauce through a fine sieve and return it to the casserole. It should be black, glossy, and thick enough to lightly coat a spoon.

   If using a countertop blender, let the sauce cool slightly and vent the lid. Hot sauce expands when blended, and squid ink stains with great enthusiasm.
7. 7

   Braise until tender

   Return the squid and every collected juice to the sauce. Bring it to the barest simmer, cover partly, and cook gently for 20 minutes. Test the thickest mantle with a fine skewer; it should yield easily. If still springy, continue in 5-minute intervals, up to about 30 minutes. Add a spoonful of water if the sauce tightens too far. If it remains thin, lift out the tender squid and reduce the sauce uncovered before returning them.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Taste only now, because packaged ink carries salt, and add the remaining salt only as needed. Rest the casserole off the heat for 10 minutes, remove every cocktail stick, and arrange the whole chipirones in their sauce. Serve with plain white rice to catch it. Siempre sale, si lo sigues. It turns out, if you follow it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy small squid with clean skin, bright eyes, and a fresh sea smell, never a strong fishy one. Frozen baby squid are a sound substitute far from the Basque coast. Thaw them slowly in the refrigerator and dry them well; they release more water and finish a little softer.
• •If the squid are already cleaned, buy sealed food-grade ink sachets. Cuttlefish ink is a proper substitute and can be used in the same 16g amount; it is usually denser and gives the sauce a slightly fuller marine flavour.
• •When fresh tomatoes are pale or watery, use 150g drained canned whole tomato and crush it yourself. It cooks down into the onion, so little is lost. A watery fresh tomato only makes the sauce harder to reduce.
• •The sauce must be black before the squid returns. If 16g of a mild ink leaves it charcoal-grey, add one more 4g sachet. Ink varies in strength. Black food colouring has no business in the casserole.
• •Serve this with plain white rice or sturdy bread and little else. A cold glass of dry Txakoli suits the sweet onion and marine sauce; another crisp, dry white wine is the honest substitute.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and keep them for up to two days. Reheat gently only until the sauce loosens and the squid is warmed through, since a hard boil toughens it.

Advance Preparation

• •Clean and fill the squid up to 8 hours ahead. Keep them covered on a rack or in a colander set over a bowl in the coldest part of the refrigerator, and use them the same day.
• •The black sauce can be cooked, blended, and strained up to 2 days ahead. Cool it promptly, refrigerate it covered, and bring it back to a simmer before adding the seared squid.
• •The complete dish may be made 1 day ahead. The sauce deepens overnight, though the squid becomes slightly softer. Reheat it very gently and loosen it with a spoonful of water if necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 530g)