A recipe that will certainly win compliments – if not prizes! Serve as a starter with crispy bread and salad or as a main meal with rice and lightly cooked vegetables. Note: Select large calamari tubes for a quick and neat to make dish!
8 medium-large calamari tubes, rinsed and dried (1 kg /125 g per tube)
salt and pepper to sprinkle
¼ cup (60 ml) butter to grease dish and cook the tubes
Prawn and rice stuffing
1 Tbsp (30 ml) butter
½ cup (125 ml) chopped onion
½ tsp (2,5 ml) chopped garlic
1½ cups (375 ml) cooked white rice (slightly sticky is best)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) mayonnaise
1 Tbsp (15 ml) mild or hot sweet chilli sauce
± 1 cup (250 ml) cooked peeled prawns, cut up
1 Tbsp (15 ml) finely snipped spring onion or chives
2 tsp (10 ml) chopped parsley
Rosé Sauce With Prawns
2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter
3 Tbsp (45 ml) cake flour
1 cup (250 ml) milk
½ cup (125 ml) cream or additional milk
¼ tsp (1 ml) chicken stock powder
1 Tbsp (15 ml) Rose wine or dry white wine
2 Tbsp (30 ml) grated Cheddar or Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) tomato sauce or pizza topping sauce
salt and ground black pepper
1 cup (250 ml) cooked peeled prawns, cut up
Garnish
paprika to sprinkle and snipped spring onion
- Grease an ovenproof dish of a suitable size to hold 8 stuffed tubes with part of the butter. Heat the oven to 200ºC.
- Place the butter, onion and garlic for the stuffing in a saucepan and cook and stir 2 minutes.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and mix until evenly combined. Divide into 8 and use to fill the tubes.
- Sprinkle tubes lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange the tubes into the greased dish, dot with the remaining butter and bake 20 minutes or until the tubes are firm and lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, place the butter and flour into an ovenproof jug or bowl and microwave 30 seconds on HIGH to melt the butter.
- Add the milk and cream, if used and mix well. Microwave on High for 2 minutes, mix well and microwave a while longer or until thickened. Beat until smooth.
- Add the stock powder, lemon juice or wine, cheese and tomato sauce and beat well. Add salt to taste and stir in the prawns.
- Spoon the sauce over the cooked tubes, return to the oven for 5 – 8 minutes until heated through and bubbly.
- Garnish with paprika and spring onion. Serve warm as explained above.
8 servings as first course or 4 as main course.
Recipe by Carolié de Koster.
Photo credit: https://chezlerevefrancais.com