Simple Italian recipes -
Stuffed Cuttlefish ~ Seppie Ripiene

Recipe Categories : | Italian | Cuttlefish | Seafood | Spaghetti | MAIN INDEX |

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

• 2 to 3 medium sized cuttlefish, about a 1½ lb in all
• 1½ cups crumbled Tuscan bread, less crust, moistened and wrung dry
• a small bunch parsley and a clove of garlic, minced (about ¼ cup in all)
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste, diluted in 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• hot water
• ¾ lb spaghetti, cooked in lightly salted water

Preparation and Cooking Instructions :

1. Clean and wash the cuttlefish.
2. Mince the two long tentacles, and mix them with the bread, parsley, garlic, and a tablespoon of oil. Season the stuffing to taste with salt and pepper, and stuff the cavities of the cuttlefish, sewing them shut with string.
3. Sauté‚ the onion in the remaining oil. When it's translucent, add the cuttlefish and season with salt and pepper.
4. When the cuttlefish have browned slightly, add the tomato and simmer slowly for two hours, adding water as necessary to keep the sauce from drying out; check the seasoning of the sauce towards the end of the cooking, and, about ten minutes before you plan to serve the meal, cook the spaghetti.
5. Use the sauce to season the spaghetti, and serve the cuttlefish as a second course, with a tossed salad.