Sri Lankan Curry Stuffed Squid Pasta in Miso Butter Ink Sauce, Seared Radish, Greens and Favas

A hybrid recipe, inspired by a recent voyage to Sri Lanka, from which I returned with a jar of Sri Lanka’s unique curry powder an aching to work with raw squid.

Shell, blanch and peel favas.  Here’s a step-by-step: http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/ss/ShellingFavas.htm

Mince an onion, 2-6 cloves of garlic, as much chili as you can handle, and at least ½ inch fresh ginger, taking in their savory aromatics.  Arrange separately on a plate or in a bowl.

Chop the greens off the radish, cutting directly above the top.  Diligently wash and slice radishes lengthwise (mind the tops of radishes, they keep the most dirt), keep radish greens whole

Boil water for pasta.  While that’s going on, prepare the squid stuffing.  Sear onions on hi in butter or oil, reduce to lo and caramelize, add spoonful or two of curry powder, garlic and chili.  Cook and stir 1 minute more, until fragrant.  Add tentacles, stir around for a minute, marveling at how the they curl and cover with the heat off.  When cool to the touch, stuff into squid tubes with finger or piped in with an corner-snipped ziplock bag.

Melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a large skillet until frothy and fragrant, add 1 tablespoon each: sake, mirin and soy (dashi if you have any). When boiling, reduce heat and add stuffed squid. Cover on low until white all over.  Whisk in 2 teaspoons of miso and more butter, if desired.  I always desire!

Add pasta directly from pot, the starchy pasta water will thicken the sauce.  Toss until evenly coated.  Reduce any excess liquid, on medium heat.

While the pasta absorbs the sauce, preheat the oven to 475.  I use the convection for this job.

Sear radish slices cut-side down in hot pan with a bit of oil on high heat.  You want to hear a high-heat sizzle.  Finish in the oven until tender, about 10 minutes.  Return to stovetop, keeping a towel or pot holder on the pan handle.  I’ve burned myself many a time!  Add pat of butter, greens and pinch of salt. Toss until greens are wilted. Toss in favas until warmed through.

 Top pasta with vegetables, fresh herbs and lemon zest and furikake if desired.

Notes:  The ink yield was low and the 6 squid shrank up quite a bit. I would have used more squid, at least 12 (3 per person). The sauce did not quite have the inkiness I would get out using a whole packet available at specialized food vendors.  It did, however, lend a salty earthiness to the rich miso butter, sweet mirin and delicate sake.  The Sri Lankan curry laid a sheet of flavor exposing the unique, Far East integrity of the dish, a far cry from Japanese-style dissolved stewy curry cubes that would have blanketed it. 

Here’s Part I of my Wafu Squid Ink Curry Pasta, a buttery and crunchy dish with Far and South Asian flavors.  I decided to post how to prepare the squid, reserving the ink first so you readers can have a crash course.  This was my first time working with the whole squid and though it is a bit labor intensive, I received much joy out of honoring the integrity of the whole creature.

Clean and separate squid, reserving ink.  The frightful creatures, bless their branchial and systemic hearts, must be separated into tubes and tentacles. Squeeze just above the eyes and pull apart with a slight twisting motion.  The black vein above the eyes is the ink sac.  Have a small bowl with a tablespoon of water or wine ready.  Remove ink sak with  a knife or finger, puncture and squeeze into the liquid.  Cut just under the eyes, if there is a hard ball (the inedible beak) in the center of the tentacle, squeeze it out.

Peel the outer speckled skin of the tube.  Inside the tube is the cuttlebone, a thin, clear shard of cartilage.  Remove and discard.  Rinse tubes, removing any extra innard goo and pat dry.  Fun, right?

Grubbing at Grand Century Mall after our manicurist suggested the Banh Xeo, rice flour crepe stuffed with shrimp pork and bean sprouts. Ripped apart and wrapped with lettuce, shiso and mint.The Vietnamese rival Iranians in herbage #localfood #vietnamtown #sanjose #foodventure (Taken with instagram)

Grubbing at Grand Century Mall after our manicurist suggested the Banh Xeo, rice flour crepe stuffed with shrimp pork and bean sprouts. Ripped apart and wrapped with lettuce, shiso and mint.The Vietnamese rival Iranians in herbage #localfood #vietnamtown #sanjose #foodventure (Taken with instagram)

Mouth and eyegasms. Blessed by nature inside and out. (Taken with instagram)

Geriatrics demand their good seafood, bless em! #morrobay#picstitch (Taken with instagram)

The latte foam fog finally burned off approaching Morro Bay. As I peeled off my jacket, my eyes settled on an attractive sign. I consider myself a falafel raptor, one who always has room for falafel. I like to discover subtleties in recipes, which vary by family, region, and nation. Buried in fine print menu of onion rings and burgers, Marie, the Lebanese owner, shares her traditional classic. She pulses garbanzo beans, spices, herbs and sesame paste, tahini, to a sticky dough and fries little patties to a crispy and mealy delight. A fried vegetable by any other name would be as crunchy, no?

Marie’s falafel had quite a bit of warm cumin creamy tahini and spicy cayenne. These additions build an earthy complexity, a welcome contrast to the bright green Palestinian/Israeli variety. While I wait to get home and create my own recipe, try this one! http://www.examiner.com/article/authentic-lebanese-falafel-recipe-the-middle-eastern-staple-goes-diy

Best crab omelet subpar taters #road trip #coastin#picstitch (Taken with instagram)

First stop on LA to the bay is inconveniently up windy Topanga Canyon, putting me 30 minutes my already hour-behind journey to surprise my mother for Mother’s Day weekend. I caught the Nick Waterhouse show in Eagle Rock last night and didn’t make time to research a strategic map of eateries along the way. I Yelped Malibu’s best breakfast but having no faith in Malibu’s choices, dreary chains spending more on rent than proper food, I stumbled upon a quaint looking and positively reviewed Pat’s Topanga Grill. A driftwood counter, an assortment of tacky chairs, and a warm smile from the waitress greeted me. As out of my way it was, I knew I came to the right place. Drip coffee was excellent and my snow crab omelet had the most buttery avocados I’ve ever had a diner. I wondered if they came from local trees. Come out for pleasant experience and nice drive.

Happy place #theapplepan (Taken with instagram)