Calamari in zimino (Stewed squid)
- Preparation time: 30 minutes.
- Cooking time: 30 minutes.
- 1.2kg of medium-sized squid.
- 1.5kg Swiss chard or spinach.
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.
- 3 cloves garlic.
- 500g tomatoes.
- Salt.
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Clean, wash and cook the chard or spinach. Clean the squid, removing the contents of the sac, or buy them ready prepared. Chop the sac into rings about one centimetre thick. Put in a pan or casserole with the oil and garlic and leave to absorb the flavours. Squeeze the liquid out of the vegetables and chop. Add to the squid and heat through with the peeled and diced tomatoes and pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat for twenty minutes. Remove the garlic cloves and serve the squid hot on a warmed serving dish. Alternatively, the whole dish could be cooked in an earthenware casserole and brought straight to the tables.
This is one of the most characteristic Florentine fish dishes, but Artusi, who was from the Romagna, clearly was not enthusiastic about it, grumbling that, "The Florentines in particular, are so keen on green vegetables that they put them in absolutely everthing. Consequently they add chards to this dish, which is about as suitable as soup at Holy."
