Cuttlefish with Peas

Ingredients

• 800 g Cuttlefish
• 400 g Peas
• 300 g Tomato passata
• 100 ml White wine
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Parsley
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper

Steps

1. Clean the cuttlefish: remove the internal bone, the eyes, the beak and the innards, then peel off the outer skin.
2. Rinse well under cold water and cut the bodies into strips about 1 cm wide; leave the tentacles whole or halved.
3. In a wide pan, gently heat the extra-virgin olive oil with the whole peeled garlic cloves over low heat until fragrant, without letting them brown.
4. Add the cuttlefish and sauté over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring, until it firms up and releases its water.
5. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate completely over higher heat, scraping the bottom of the pan.
6. Stir in the tomato passata, season with salt and pepper, add a ladle of hot water, cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the cuttlefish is tender.
7. Add the peas and continue cooking uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little hot water if the sauce reduces too much, until the peas are soft and the sauce has thickened.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
9. Adjust the salt and let it rest a few minutes before serving warm with crusty bread.

Tips

• Ask your fishmonger to clean the cuttlefish for you to save time; fresh cuttlefish has a sweeter flavour than squid.
• Frozen peas work well out of season, but in spring fresh shelled peas give the dish its true character.
• Do not rush the simmering: gentle, slow cooking is what makes the cuttlefish meltingly tender rather than rubbery.