INGREDIENTS
- 5 medium squids
- ½ red pepper
- ½ green pepper
- 1 small onion
- 1tbsp dill
- 1tsp tomato paste
- 1 shot of ouzo
- 1tbsp sea salt
- 1tsp black peppercorns
- 1tsp oregano
- 2tbsp groats (thin grains)
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION
Clean and rinse well the squids. Cut the tentacles into medium pieces. Prepare the spice blend. Dice peppers, onion, and garlic cloves into small chunks. Finely chop the dill.
Put olive oil in a small saucepan and add the onion. Stir until it’s wilted. Then, add the tentacles, the peppers, and the garlic and keep stirring. Add the tomato paste dissolved in one small cup of water and lower the heat to slow-cook the ingredients. Add the groats and stir until they absorb the liquids. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, but be careful; there should be enough liquid inside the pot, so that your ingredients won’t dry out. If that happens, add a little water. While there are still a few liquids, turn off the stove. Wait for a few minutes, until the stuffing cools down. Then, put some filling in each squid, taking care not to overstuff.
Then, it’s time to skewer the stuffed squids to the small spits. Skewer the squids and secure them on the spits with some string. Refer to the video above for further detail. Thread the top with two toothpicks to close and tie the string around them. Now, they are ready and you can grill them on rotation. If skewering the squibs is unavailable, you can grill them on the grilling grate of your charcoal grill, turning them over frequently.
COOKED ON amber.q A
COOKING
Pile up the charcoals inside the fire cabin of your charcoal grill and place alcohol-soaked cotton balls sparsely on top. Light the fire and the charcoals will light easily, quickly, and without smoke. The charcoals light upside down, from top to bottom.
When the charcoals are fully lit, spread them inside the fire cabin, and reduce the heat they release by throwing some charcoal ash on them. Grill these stuffed squids on low heat, so that their filling can be also cooked. Grilling on rotation is an important factor when it comes to grilling evenly and effortlessly. It takes 20 minutes approximately, until they’re done and lightly browned.
Remove them from the grill, when they are done, and wait for them to cool down. Remove the skewers and cut the stuffed squids into rings. Serve them warm. They are an excellent choice for accompanying a glass of “tsipouro” and enjoying your time with a good company.
Happy grilling everyone!
