Polenta with Baby Squid in Veggie Sauce

Now that we are having cooler weather I am making more comforting dishes for my family. My hubby loves squid and I am kind of still warming up, not yet the biggest fan, therefor I don't consider myself an expert when it comes to squid recipes. One thing that I've learnt is to always get fresh, not frozen, they are more tender that way. So every week when I go to the International store hubby ask me did you get the squid and I always "kind of" forget. However last week he was with me and we bought pound of this fresh baby squid that they cleaned in front of us. The recipe was easy because I already build it in my mind how to prepare and how it will taste. 
This recipe even surprised me, honestly. Squid was so tender that when you put in your mouth it feels as it is melting like a marshmallow. When you are eating it with softly prepared polenta or corn meal I think it was the perfect match. The sauce was completely prepared from raw veggies and just cooked for very little time until it was hot and bubbly. Very satisfying meal and my hubby and our oldest son were going for the second round. They loved it! On the other hand I did eat it, it was tasty but I am never overwhelmed with squid. Second thing about squid that I've learnt is to always serve it from the stove to the table. When I finish cooking it, I serve it right away!
Let me show you how I prepared this dish. 

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 Lb baby Squid
• 2 cupful Yellow Cornmeal, instant and plain
• Salt to taste
• 3 Tbs. Oil
• 1 cup of milk

Sauce:

• 1/4 Onion
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 2 large Carrots
• 1 Celery, stalk
• 1/2 tsp. Chili Pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• Handful Cilantro
• 3 Fresh Mint leaves
• 2 Ripe Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
• Juice from 1/2 Lime
• 2 Tbs. Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the water and drop all the veggies in the pot for 3-5 minutes. Drain and put in the food processor with 1/2 cup of water. Process until well combines; Add herbs, lime juice and oil and process more.
2. Once that is done wash and slice squid. and place it in the bowl with the milk for next 5 minutes.
3. In a meanwhile boil about 4 cups of water with 1/2 Tbs. Salt and 2 Tbs. Oil for polenta.
4. Once the water starts to boil, lower the temperature and carefully put cornmeal in the pot, prepare the Whisk because this is cooking very fast. Whisk the Cornmeal clockwise until it forms the nice smooth consistency.
5. If you put too much of cornmeal it will end up like a ball, so carefully pour and whisk until it's smooth and soft. If you like it thicker then you can add more. As soon as it's done cover it with the lid until ready for serving.
6. Preheat the saucepan and add 1 Tbs. Oil; Drain the squid from the milk and no need to wash them, just drop on the hot oil and sprinkle with the salt. Cook for 2-4 minutes and drop the processed veggies in.
7. Add Tomato sauce and stir. Cook for 10 minutes until it's starts to bubble up, add more salt and pepper to taste; cover and let it be under the lid for few minutes. 
8. Serve it HOT and over polenta!

Enjoy!!!

If you have any questions, please do let me know! Stay warm and healthy!

Your friend,

Sandra

Don't forget to subscribe via email and wait for my newsletter. 

All the images and recipes are ©2012 Sandra's Easy Cooking. All Rights Reserved. 

You cannot copy, or republish (recipes or images) without permission of the author.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.