STUFFED SQUID / KALAMARAKIA YEMISTA (Καλαμαρακια γεμιστα)

Kalamarakia Yemista is Greek for stuffed calamari.  Calamari is, of course, squid.  It’s my favourite thing to eat (my second favourite has got to be sushi)!  My last meal would include fried calamari, stuffed calamari, a variety of sushi, and a Diet Pepsi… Whoops… now I need some Diet Pepsi.  Excuse me while I visit the kitchen for a cold, bubbly glass of the stuff!  Be right back….

Here I am!  Did you miss me?  Anyway, I prefer a plate of calamari to a plate of roast beef the latter being what most people would like to order for their last meal. But I could be wrong. 

My favourite way of eating calamari is to have it breaded and fried.  Heaven! However, I prefer to have someone else fry them- like a cook at a restaurant- because I am not fond of the odour that tends to linger in the kitchen after having fried any type of seafood. Stuffing them is a nice way to cook them at home. Italians like to stuff their calamari with bread crumbs and herbs, while we Greeks prefer a stuffing made with rice and herbs. It’s all good.  

Kalamarakia yemista are usually eaten in the summer or at Lent time. I am making these in December, 29 December to be exact, because that’s my birthday, and I always have calamari to eat on my birthday. 

You’ll need to buy small, fresh squid as they are the most tender. Get mostly the mantle, or sack-like part of the squid, because that is a cavity, just right for stuffing. If tentacles are included with your purchase, chop them up very well and include them in the stuffing, or bake them along with the stuffed calamari by tucking them snugly into the same pan.  

On either side of the squid, attached to the bottom of the mantle, are small fins.  Those are easy to remove with a knife, and just like the tentacles, can be chopped up to be included in the stuffing.  Whatever you do, my advice is to make sure that you buy cleaned calamari. Cleaning them at home is a tedious and very messy job. I've watched people do it, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not for me. 

    

Most recipes for kalamarakia yemista are similar.  One interesting variation is the addition of raisins and pine nuts in the stuffing.  My version is simpler, so let's go to the kitchen and make stuffed squid (for my birthday!):

Ingredients:

1 pound cleaned baby squid

tentacles from the squid, some chopped into small pieces, some left whole 

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 scallions, white and pale green part, finely chopped

3/4 cup long-grain rice

1 cup chicken broth

3 tomatoes, skin and seeds removed and chopped well
Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons fresh dill

1 tablespoon fresh mint

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 cup white wine

olive oil
pinch of thyme 

Toasted pine nuts (optional)

Directions:

• Place the squid in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Pour 1/2 cup of the wine over them, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
• In a medium skillet heat 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onions until they are soft.  Add the chopped up squid and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and the rice and stir to coat with the olive oil.  Cook for about a minute, stirring.  
• Add the scallions and 2 of the diced tomatoes.
• Add the chicken broth, the rest of the wine and the marinade from the squid.
• Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer on low until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Let the rice cool slightly, then add the herbs and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Prepare the baking pan:  Pour the tomato sauce and add the remaining diced tomato on the bottom of the pan.  Season with a little thyme.    
• Stuff the squid with the rice mixture.  This is a job best done by using your hands.  Make sure the rice gets to the bottom of the squid cavity, and keep pressing the rice with your fingers so that the cavity is nicely filled  You may want to secure the top of each squid with a toothpick so that the rice does not spill during baking.  
• Place the squid in the baking pan and roll it around in the tomato sauce. Add the tentacles if you have any left. Drizzle olive oil over the squid and bake it uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Remove the squid from the oven.  Have a serving platter ready.  Spread some of the sauce from the squid on the platter.  Place the squid on top and spoon a little more sauce over them.  Sprinkle with the pinenuts if using, and serve.  

  

PIEROGI with various fillings: POTATO & CHEESE, CABBAGE & MUSHROOM, FETA CHEESE & SPINACH

I'm making pierogi!!! I love them, as I love any type of dumpling! It's just that I never thought I would be making them. From scratch. Buying them ready to eat has been what I've been used to. But why not try my hand at making them myself? The first step to making pierogi is to find that place in one's house called "the kitchen ..." 

I chose a pierogi dough from Martha Stewart. This dough is a thing of beauty: silky, easy to handle and delicious!  Thank you, Martha. Here's how to make it:


Pierogi Dough Ingredients:

1 large egg, lightly whisked
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
4 and 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, some of it to be used for bench surface and for dusting 

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Add the sour cream, and whisk until smooth. Add the milk and 1 cup water, and whisk until combined.
2. Slowly add about 3 cups flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and work in about 1 cup flour as you knead. Use a plastic scraper to lift the dough as it will stick to the counter before any flour is worked in. Continue kneading for 8 to 10 minutes, working in another 1/2 cup flour. The dough should be elastic in texture and no longer sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour, as this will toughen the dough.
4. Place dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest while preparing a filling.

Roll out the Dough:

On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Make sure you are just rolling the dough and not rolling and pressing.

Using a glass or a cookie cutter measuring 2 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out as many circles as possible. Cut the circles close together, trying to save as much space as possible. Gather the dough scraps together, roll them out again, and continue cutting.

Fill the Pierogi:

1. Lay a dry, clean towel on your work surface; set aside.
2. Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling in the centre of each dough circle.
3. Holding a circle in your hand, fold dough over the filling, and pinch the edges, forming a well-sealed crescent; transfer to the towel. Continue this process until all dough circles are filled.

Cook the Pierogi:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to the boil. Drop the pierogi in the boiling water in batches. They will sink to the bottom of the pot and then rise to the top. Once they rise, let them cook for about a minute more.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook one stick of butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in colour, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and drizzle the butter onto a serving platter, leaving any burned sediment behind. Remove the pierogi from the pot, and transfer to the buttered platter. By placing the pierogi on a pre-buttered platter you will prevent them from sticking. Serve immediately. You may drizzle some more butter on top.
3. Note: Some pierogi are fried, some are sauteed in butter, some get butter drizzled over them. I don't really like fried foods, nor do I like to smother foods in butter. Drizzling a bit of butter on top is okay, but I served some pierogi coated with olive oil and they were excellent!

I chose to make three types of filling: 

POTATO AND CHEESE FILLING:

• 3 large potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 3/4 cup cheese, a mixture of cream cheese and cheddar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients until well incorporated. Stuff the pierogi when the filling has cooled. 

CABBAGE, CARROT, AND MUSHROOM FILLING:

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 shallot, chopped and sautéed in one tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the cabbage and carrot in boiling water until nice and soft. Drain very well and reserve. Sauté the shallot, garlic, ginger and mushrooms in the vegetable oil until they are soft. Add the cabbage mixture and season with salt and pepper. Let cool before filling the pierogi.

Pierogi with Feta cheese and Spinach Filling:

Being of Greek heritage, I love the combination of feta cheese and spinach.  This recipe combines feta, spinach and pierogi dough to make a hybrid Greek-Polish dumpling. One of the best things about it is that it contains no butter! The pierogi are topped with just a bit of olive oil and Parmesan cheese before they are served. Here is the recipe for this filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 box of chopped frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• some olive oil and Parmesan cheese for topping
• salt and pepper to taste

Thaw and chop the spinach into small pieces. Even though it's already chopped you will need to chop it into smaller pieces. Cook it in a bit of boiling salted water until it is soft. Drain it very well. In a medium skillet heat the vegetable oil and add the shallots. Sauté until the shallots are soft. Add the parsley, spinach and mint, and mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheeses and egg. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Let cool before using as stuffing. When the pierogi are cooked, serve topped with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese.