Cretan Squid with Fennel, Sorrel, and Spinach

Monday April 2
This recipe came from Paula Wolfert's book, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. It was prompted by the fact that we had some braised fennel left from last week, and a nice bunch of sorrel growing in the garden. So we picked up a bag of wholesale Spongebob Squarepants Spinach at Findlay Market, and a batch of the big frozen squid steaks at Trader Joe's.

The prep is a tad odd. You cut the big giant squid into rubber bands, then cook—without oil—in a frying pan, until the squid stops oozing—I mean giving off liquid. Impolitely push the squid to one side, and only then add oil. Fry up some onion in the oil and then add chopped fennel. Braise it for ten minutes then add about 1/2 lb. each of spinach and sorrel to wilt. Add a splash of wine, a TBSP of fresh dill, cover and cook forever, or until the squid is tender, about 40 minutes. (The rule with squid is under 3 minutes or over 30, otherwise it is rubber bands). Since we had already braised the fennel, we just added it in the last five minutes or so. This was outstanding. We had been apprehensive that the spinach would overwhelm the sorrel, but in fact it extended it. Lovely, fresh, and flavorful.