On holiday in Venice I had the chance to try out my (very bad) Italian buying at the Rialto fish market - there was so much to choose from; huge John Dory, tiny crabs, gamberi (prawns), perch, bright silver sardines - but here's how I cooked the squid I bought:
Serves two
300g medium-sized squid, cleaned and cut into big rings, tentacles left whole
150g Venetian bigoli (long tube-like pasta, a bit like hollow spaghetti)
1 medium or 2 small shallots, finely sliced
2 small plum tomatoes, finely sliced
olive oil
15g unsalted butter
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil, add some olive oil and cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the butter and lug of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until just starting to colour. Add the squid and tomatoes and turn up the heat. Cook until the squid is just done (this will only take a couple of minutes - don't overcook). Drain the pasta, then add the squid, shallots and cooking liquor to the pasta. Mix well and serve with seasonal salad, such as rocket or radicchio.
