Squids Provençal Recipe

Squids Provençal

Encornets à la Provençale, a very popular recipe of the South of France. It is quite easy to prepare. Small squids, readily available frozen, are more tender. Serve the dish with a crusty white bread or rice pilaf.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients: 

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, about 8 oz (225 g), peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 lbs (900 g) squid, cleaned and pouches cut into 1-inch (2,5 cm) rings, if they are about thumb size you can leave them whole
  • salt and pepper
  • pinch of Cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) fish or chicken broth
  • 1 lb (450 g) tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 1 medium-size zucchini, cut into rounds
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Bouquet Garni: 1 bay leaf, 2 twigs of thyme, flat-leaf parsley, winter savory (sariette), tied together with a string or in cheesecloth or tea bag

Preparation:

Warm olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté about 10 minutes. Raise the heat and sauté the squid about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the squid juices have almost evaporated. Remove the squid from the saucepan and set aside.

Add the wine and fish or chicken broth to the saucepan. Cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add tomatoes, garlic and Bouquet Garni and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the squid and cook it until tender. Depending on the squid size this should take between 30-40 minutes.

Add zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes. By this time the sauce should be fairly thick. If not, reduce sauce over high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

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