Squid and Chorizo – Cross Species Delight

When Nancy is away I can indulge myself with some dishes which she would prefer not to have in the house when she is home. Hence, since she is back in New York awaiting the arrival of our second grandchild, this afternoon I decided to make myself some Sautéed Calamari with Chorizo using a recipe by Rick Stein that I came across here.

I just made half the recipe and it was more than enough for a good sized portion plus some leftovers. I was not able to find chorizo (The Spanish Table was closed when I stopped by) so I ended up using some Portuguese linguica. The chorizo would have probably been just a bit spicier and coarser and would have been a better choice.

I also mashed half of the chickpeas which was a good choice since it added a bit more body to the dish. Finally I was also unable to find arugula so used spinach. Not bad, but greens with a slightly bitter note would have been better.

The dish took no time to prepare – just over 30 minutes including prep and cooking time. It went very well with a glass of Albariño from the Galician coast. Here’s the finished product.

The dish was also similar to one of my favorite dishes at Perbacco in San Francisco – their Piastra Seared Squid with Chickpea Puree, Chili and Arugula:

The Perbacco dish is served with cured olives which also add an interesting note, although it lacks the savory element provided by the chorizo.

Here’s Rick Stein’s full recipe for the Sautéed Calamari with Chorizo

Ingredients:

1 pound cleaned squid, bodies cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings, tentacles halved
1 dry-cured fully-cooked chorizo sausage, cut into thin half-moons
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 large bunch of arugula, large stems discarded
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt

Preparation:

In a bowl, toss the chorizo and squid; season with salt. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. Add half of the squid mixture. Cook over high heat, stirring, until the squid is firm, 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Add 1/4 cup of the water to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits in the pan. Pour the juices into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining squid and chorizo, using another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of water.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the garlic; cook over moderately high heat until soft. Add the tomato, chickpeas, vinegar and reserved pan juices and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Return the squid mixture to the skillet; toss with the parsley and red pepper. Season with salt. Mound the arugula on plates, drizzle with oil and top with the squid.