Last Thursday night we were blown away by “Rick Stein’s Spain”episode, so much so we’re attempting to make this today for the staff’s lunch tomorrow.

Cuttlefish with meatballs and peas

Ingredients

For the picada

1 small vine-ripened or beef tomato, halved

2 tbsp olive oil

2 fat garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

10g/¼oz crustless white bread

10g/¼oz blanched almonds, toasted

1 tsp flat-leaf parsley leaves

For the cuttlefish and meatballs

1 large vine-ripened or beef tomato (about 200g/7oz), halved

6 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

6 tbsp dry white wine

2 tsp tomato purée

15g/½oz slice crustless white bread

1½ tbsp milk

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

225g/8oz chicken mince

225g/8oz pork mince

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

6 large shell-on raw prawns

375g/13oz cleaned cuttlefish, cut into 2cm-wide strips

150ml/5fl oz chicken stock

100g/3½oz peas

salt and freshly ground black pepper

crusty fresh bread, to serve

Preparation method

For the picada, grate the halved tomatoes, pressing the fleshy, cut face of the tomato against the grater. (As you grate each tomato half, the skin will flatten out and be left behind.) Discard the skin.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and slice of bread and fry, turning over now and then, until golden-brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl of a mini food processor with the almonds, tomato, parsley and one tablespoon of cold water. Blend to a paste and set aside.

For the cuttlefish and meatballs, grate the halved tomatoes, pressing the fleshy, cut face of the tomato against the grater. (As you grate each tomato half, the skin will flatten out and be left behind.) Discard the skin.

Put two tablespoons of the oil, half the garlic and the onion into a saucepan and fry for 10 minutes until soft, sweet and lightly golden. Add the wine, grated tomato and tomato purée and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes until reduced and thickened.

For the meatballs, tear the bread into a small bowl, sprinkle with the milk and leave until soft. Break up the bread with your fingers and add the remaining chopped garlic, the parsley, chicken and pork mince, nutmeg and ½ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.

Mix together well and shape into 2.5cm/1in wide balls.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan, add the meatballs and fry for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until golden-brown. (You may need to do this in batches.) Set aside on a plate. Discard any oil left in the pan.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan, add the prawns and fry for one minute on each side until just cooked through. Set aside on a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, then the cuttlefish and stir-fry for two minutes or until it is nicely caramelized and just cooked through. Set aside with the prawns.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan, stir in the picada and simmer for two minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the stock or water and bring to the boil, stirring. Add the peas, meatballs and cuttlefish and season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter over the prawns and simmer for five minutes until any remaining liquid has reduced and everything has heated through.

Serve with crusty fresh bread.
(Recipe and BBC food archive).

If you’re as fed up with the English summer as much as we are, give this dish a try and bring some the of that summer sunshine to your dinner table! Fingers crossed the staff like this one!

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