NYE Dinner for Peg & JP - Braised Calamari with Pine Nuts and Currents

October 2011 Greek Edition of Gourmet Traveller

Prep time 45 mins, cook 1 hour 25 mins (plus cooking)

Serves 4 as a light meal

Ingredients

-          150g long-grain rice

-          40gm butter, coarsely chopped

-          2 tbsp olive oil

-          1 onion, finely diced

-          2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

-          125ml dry white wine

-          200ml fish stock

-          2 tbsp pine nuts

-          1 tbsp currents

-          30ml lemon juice

-          2 tbsp each coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley, mint and dill, plus extra flat leave parsley to serve

-          8 cleaned calamari tubes (about 800gm)

Tomato and Red Capsicum Sauce

-          50gm butter, coarsely chopped

-          2 red capsicum, sliced into 2cm strips

-          2 garlic cloves fine chopped

-          2 tsp each ground coriander and paprika

-          200ml fish stock

-          150ml white wine

-          800gm canned crushed tomatoes

-          1 fresh bay leaf

-          ¼ cup each coarsely chopped dill and flat-leaf parsley

Pinch of caster sugar.

Method

1.       For the tomato and red capsicum sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, add capsicum and garlic and stir occasionally until starting to soften. Add spices and stir until fragrant (30 secs), then add stock and wine and bring to the simmer. Add tomato and bay leaf and simmer until thick (20-25 mins). Season to taste and stir through herbs and sugar.

2.       Meanwhile, par cook rice in boiling water (3-5 mins) drain and set aside

3.       Heat butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until tender (5-6 minutes). Add wine and stir to combine, and add rice and stock, season to taste and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, add pine nuts and currents cover and simmer until rice is just cooked through (12 – 15 mins). Remove from heat, stir through lemon juice, season to taste and spread on a tray to cool. Stir in herbs, and then fill calamari tubes ¾ full. Secure with a toothpick and refrigerate until required.

4.       Preheat oven to 180 and place calamari in a single layer in a baking dish, cover with sauce and bake until calamari are cooked through (23-30 mins). Season to taste and serve hot scattered with parsley, with crusty bread.

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