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Squid Provencal

My take on Squid provencal is a bit different to the classic and works all year round. I've pulled in some Italian influence adding balsamic vinegar which just works so well with tomatoes I had to put it in, and bacon, because bacon makes everything better, right? I should probably call it Squid and Bacon Stew but I haven't gone so far off piste that it's unrecognisable so I'm sticking with it.

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The dish goes great on it's own or just with some nice crusty bread to soak up all the stew juices or even my flatbreads

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I use frozen squid at home to do this as it's readily available at the supermarket. It still tastes great, it saves time cleaning fresh squid and means I've always got some available in the freezer. With the other ingredients being things I almost always have available it makes this dish something I can whip up after work rather than a special, plan days in advance, meal.

 

If you have fresh squid it's just going to elevate it and make it that bit more special

Ingredients

Serves 2

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  • 2 tbsp Olive oil

  • 4 small squid cut into rings

  • 4 rashers of streaky smoked bacon

  • 1/2 medium onion

  • 2 cloves of chopped garlic

  • 3 medium sized tomatoes chopped or a tin of plum

  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

  • 1 handful chopped fresh parsley

  • 200ml cold water

Method

Cut the bacon into 1 cm slices and cook in a large frying pan on a medium to strong heat until cooked. You can go quite hard on the bacon here as when you add all the wet ingredients it will bring it back and soften it slightly. So don't panic if you forgot about it and it looks a little over.

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Chop the 1/2 onion, turn down the pan to low and add to the bacon. Cook for about 5 mins until the onion has almost softened. Then add your chopped garlic and cook for 2 mins more.

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Now add the chopped fresh tomatoes (or the tin of plums) a good few pinches of salt and black pepper and 200ml of cold water. Bring this up to a low simmer, cover and leave for 15 mins to allow the tomatoes to slowly fall apart and the flavours to really mix together. If you have no cover just keep an eye on it and add more water as necessary.

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After 20 mins remove the lid and turn the heat up a little to allow it to reduce down for a further 10 mins. Once it's at a light soup like consistency add your squid rings, the parsley and 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar. Bring back to a simmer and leave for 2 mins. No more or your squid will over do and become rubbery.

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Serve in bowls with a bit of bread on the side.

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