I was looking forward to this week because I knew this was going to give me an excuse to try one of Deborah’s favorite shops. She had passed the word to me that Global foods has squid cleaned and cut into rings that are flash frozen and beautiful. I had never shopped there, so I was excited to try it. I was amazed. It has food from all over the world, with fresh produce that include the traditional fruits and vegetables as well as many things that I have never heard of before. Well, some of them I had heard of, but had never expected to see fresh in St. Louis. It made me excited to find new recipes to try them in. Indian bitter melon, Peruvian purple potatoes, and Durian fruit were just a few. I found the squid in the frozen foods section. I grabbed two bags and headed to the checkout with all of the other things that I couldn’t live without.

This dish has almost the same base as the dish that Jerry posted yesterday. Garlic and parsley are sautéed in Olive oil first. The squid rings are washed, cleaned and then patted dry. They are then put into the oil and cooked until they turn a matte color. Then white wine and diced tomatoes are added. This is then cooked slowly for 45 minutes, until the squid is tender. Then the potatoes, salt and pepper are added and cooked again until the potatoes are done.

I was a little worried while I was making this dish. Even before I opened the bags of squid I noticed a fishy odor. Once I thawed the squid the odor remained, but the squid themselves didn’t seem to be bad. They had a nice firmness to them and I just had to conclude that these particular squid would just taste more fishy than usual. In the end that was the case. The recipe made a delicious broth that was reminiscent of a Manhattan clam chowder, which I love. Michael loved it too. I tended to eat around the squid, while he devoured all of it together.