Long-Braise Squid Tomato Sauce for Pasta

This recipe, inspired by a demonstration by Marcella Hazan, is one of the more unusual but delicious preparations I have tried for squid. The squid is braised in onions, wine and tomatoes for about 45 minutes, and the squid goes from tender, to rubber, then back to a tender texture once again (kind of like a pot roast). The sauce is puréed in the end, and through the squid isn’t particularly identifiable in the finished product, it is present in a briny, squid-infused flavor of the tomato sauce.

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Large yellow or sweet onion, sliced
pinch of red pepper flake
1 small carrot peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4–5 squid, rings and tentacles
1/2–1 cup dry white wine
2 cans of good quality whole peeled tomatoes

Cook the onion, carrot, celery and red pepper flakes in the oil over medium high heat until soft, then add the squid rings and tentacles. Cook for a few minutes then add the wine and cook an additional minute or two. Lower the heat and add the whole tomatoes and their juices and simmer sauce, occasionally using a spoon to break up the tomatoes, for about 45 minutes.

Purée the sauce, and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve over pasta or even use in a seafood-infused lasagna.