Seppie ripiene con broccoli e gamberetti from Campania

I’ll be honest, this isn’t so much a traditional recipe as a twist on something I tried in a restaurant and liked. It is a winter version of something of a summer classic, as cuttlefish, although available all year round in Southern Italy, is mainly eaten, lightly grilled, in the warmer months.

This version stuffs the cuttlefish with broccoli, prawns, chilli and garlic (no fear, cuttlefish has a distinct sweet flavour which can take all these flavours) all cooked in a glug of white wine and with a sprinkle or parmesan cheese, which is used in very few seafood recipes.

You will need (serves 2)

3x large cuttlefish, cleaned, skins intact
Plenty of baby broccoli (always cook more than you think you’ll need)
A handful of prawns, shelled
1 large clove of garlic
Olive oil
Chilli flakes
1 tsp of grated parmesan cheese
one glass of dry white wine
some wooden toothpicks

1. Gently heat a tablespoonful of olive oil, the clove or garlic (roughly chopped) and the chilli flakes in a baking tin on the hob.

2. Wash the broccoli, place it in the baking tray and pour in a glass of water. In the meantime, turn on the oven at 180°C

3. Remove the skin from one of the cuttlefish and chop it up with the tentacles from the other two. Mix with the prawns.

4. Add the prawns and cuttlefish to the broccoli. As the water starts to boil down throw in the parmesan and a glass of dry white wine.

5. When the wine is cooked off, take the stuffing and… err… stuff your cuttlefish, closing the opening at the tob with toothpicks.

6. Pile up the remaining stuffing in the centre of the baking tray and place the steffed cuttlefish on the top. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until cooked.

While you are waiting, you can always have a glass of the wine you used to cook with… that’s what I usually do!