Whenever stuffing anything, one may be tempted to overstuff. Well, the elegance in this dish is to stuff the calamari lightly. When you cook fish or meat, remember that it always tightens a bit, and if there is too much stuffing, it bursts out. So keep it light—follow the recipe.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　12 medium calamari with tentacles, cleaned (about 3 1/2 pounds)

　　6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 small onion, finely chopped

　　1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

　　1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

　　1/8 teaspoon peperoncino flakes

　　1/2 cup dry white wine

　　1 bunch scallions, trimmed, finely chopped

　　1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

　　3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Chop the calamari tentacles and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tentacles, chopped thyme, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the peperoncino. Cook and stir until the tentacles are cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the white wine into the pan, and reduce until syrupy. Stir in the scallions, and remove from the heat. Scrape the pan’s contents into a large bowl, and stir in the bread crumbs and chopped parsley. Let cool.

　　

Step 3

When the filling is cool, lay the calamari bodies out on your work surface. Fill each body with about 2 to 3 tablespoons filling, Do not overfill the calamari; it is okay if there is a little stuffing left and each raw calamari sack is half full. Pin the calamari closed by threading a toothpick up, then down again, through the wider opening of the body.

　　

Step 4

Oil a 13-by-9-inch Pyrex baking pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Lay the calamari in the baking pan in one layer. Sprinkle any remaining stuffing over the calamari. Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil, and season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake until the calamari are cooked through and the liquid is simmering, about 25 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the calamari are golden on top, about 10 minutes. If the calamari are done and there is still too much liquid in the pan, remove the calamari to a platter, and pour the sauce into a small skillet. Reduce on top of the stove until the sauce is slightly thickened, and serve with the calamari.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.