Cuttlefish and shrimps with groats in the wood-fired oven

Your first task is to clean and cut the cuttlefish into bite-sized pieces. Clean the shrimps, as well, and keep their heads and shells separately. Pour 5 cups of water into a cooking pot. Add the shrimp shells, their heads, two bay leaves, and salt, and bring to a boil. Then, remove the pot from the stove, and strain the broth. Set the broth aside for later.

In a clay cooking tray or any other wide cooking tray, place the cuttlefish pieces and the clean shrimps. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the white wine, and pour it over the cuttlefish. Mix well before adding 20 g of salt, and 2 g of ground black peppercorns. In a blender, blend the three large onions. Add them to the cooking tray along with three sliced garlic cloves. Mix well to distribute the ingredients evenly, and add the olive oil. Place the clay cooking tray in the preheated oven, and cook for 30 minutes approximately. 

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon of sweet chili flakes to the broth, and bring to a simmer. Keep the broth hot, and after 30 minutes have passed, add the broth to the cooking tray. Place the cooking tray back in the wood-fired oven, and cook for 1.5 hours approximately. Soak the groats in lukewarm water until the cuttlefish are cooked through. When the cuttlefish get tender, remove the cooking tray from the oven. Strain the groats, and add them to the clay cooking tray. Mix gently to spread them, and add two more bay leaves, and the chopped parsley. Put the cooking tray back in the oven. Cook slowly at low temperature for 30-40 minutes until the liquid is absorbed by the groats, and the cuttlefish gets a nice color.

When the food is ready, remove the cooking tray from the oven. Cover it until it cools down a bit, and serve it warm. The perfect meal! Follow the process, because the details can make a difference.

Happy cooking everyone!