We set out on a mission this morning to try and replicate the cannellini beans and squid dish we loved so much in Spain. First stop was La Goulette fish market to buy squid. They came partially cleaned and eviscerated, but we had to pull up a video on the internet to learn how to finish them off. I think the fish sellers leave the ink sac in the squid for the women who want it for pasta.
More than one site recommended marinating the squid in milk to soften it. All I can think of is lactic acid in milk that could work on the fibers of the squid. The advice was to marinate it for 24 hours, but we had about 6 hours so we tried it. We left it in big chunks and tentacles, covered it with milk, stirred in a couple of cloves of sliced garlic, salt, and pepper, and put it in the refrigerator.
Here is a recipe from Epicurious that I thought would be a nice preparation for the beans. They needed some flavor of their own and the garlic, sage, and sea salt created a great background.
Cannellini Beans with Garlic and Sage
Bon Appétit | October 2009
by Lori de Mori
Yield: Makes about 6 cups
If you're making the beans to use for the soup or the sausages, be sure to save the cooking liquid.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried cannellini (white kidney beans)
- 8 cups room-temperature water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large head of garlic, unpeeled, top 1/2 inch cut off to expose cloves
- 1 large fresh sage sprig
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
Preparation
Place beans in large bowl. Cover with cold water (at least 6 cups) and let soak overnight.
Drain beans. Place in heavy large pot. Add 8 cups room-temperature water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, sage, and black peppercorns. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Mix in 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Continue to simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if needed to keep beans covered, about 30 minutes longer. Cool beans in liquid 1 hour.
Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to serving bowl, reserving bean cooking liquid, if desired, but discarding garlic, sage, and peppercorns. Season beans to taste with pepper and more coarse salt. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
We rinsed the squid, patted it dry and scored the big pieces to keep them from
curling on the grill.
The leeks are wrapped in strips of Iberico ham. Tres cher.
This is the shiniest our new paella/grill pan will ever be.
The dish was so good, not exactly like the one we had, but it had the same convincing characteristics. Allan said it was better than anything we had had in Spain, but we have short memories. The squid was fork tender. I can’t wait to try a 24-hour marinade.
While we ate, and the grill was hot, we tossed some peppers into the salty, hammy oil. We can eat them throughout the week in scrambled eggs and polenta.
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