richard This is a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe with a few minor tweaks. Out with the smoked paprika because we don’t have any, and in with a little honey for sweetness. Half a glass of Sherry is required so we had to go out and buy some specially. We opted for Tudor Rose ‘We can’t legally call it Sherry’ Cream which at £2.08 was the cheapest we could find in Sainsbury’s. With hindsight this was a mistake.
Preparation time: 15 minutes plus overnight soaking
Cooking time: 2½ hours
Skill level: Easy
Ingredients
- dried haricot beans – 200g
- calamari – 350g
- large onion – chopped
- 2 celery sticks – chopped
- chopped tomatoes – 400g tin
- garlic – 6 cloves – finely chopped
- fennel seeds – 1 tsp
- paprika – 2 tsp
- cayenne pepper – pinch
- zest of ½ lemon
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- fish stock – 750ml
- sherry – half a glass
- honey – 1 tsp
- olive oil
- s & p
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water.
Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, add the squid and fry for 3-4 minutes until starting to colour.
Add the onion, celery, garlic, fennel seeds, paprika and cayenne and fry for 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
Drain the beans and add to the pot along with the tomatoes, lemon zest, thyme, bay leaves, honey, stock and sherry. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 2 hours after which time the sauce should deliciously thick and the beans and squid perfectly tender.
Taste and season.
Serve with a chunk of homemade bread
Verdict: This is delicious. The sauce is thick with a hint of aniseed and the squid as tender as a kiss on the forehead from Nurse Mary McKind. I urge you to invest the time and make this.
Drink: This was pre-pub ballast, so water.
Entertainment: A slideshow of Libyan adventures.
