Red Onion Compote, Sun Dried Tomato, Black Olive and Stilton Tartlets

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Two weeks already!

Not that I forgot…to eat.

Where was I? Just on a WiFi break really. At the farm.

To make up for my time off, I made these light, sweet and savoury tartlets. In this recipe, I decided to experiment with olive oil for the pastry, instead of using butter. I was pleasantly surprised by the result. Not only was it extremely easy to make, but it also turned out light and crisp. Very much like a sablé. For the filling, I took advantage of the natural sweetness of red onions by preparing a compote, which I used as a base for the tartlets. To complement the sweet filling, I topped the onions with sun-dried tomatoes, Moroccan black olives and creamy Stilton.

A perfect summer meal, served with some garden lettuce.

Ingredients for 6 tartlets:

Olive oil pastry

200 g all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1 large red onion

¼ cup butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup red wine

¼ cup sugar

½ cup sun dried tomatoes

6 ounces stilton cheese

½ cup Moroccan black olives

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil leaves

1. In a bowl, stir together flour, olive oil and salt until obtaining a coarse meal.

2. Add in the water and form a ball.

3. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least ½ hour.

4. In a saucepan, heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat.

5. Mince and stir in the onion.

6. Let cook for about 20 mins until soft.

7. Add the wine, sugar, salt and pepper.

8. Let simmer for another 30 mins, until all the wine has evaporated.

9. Remove from heat and let cool.

10. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
11. Line the tartlet pans with parchment paper.

12. Press the dough into the lined pans.

13. Bake blind for 20 mins, until golden.

14. Let cool on a rack.

15. Layer the crusts with red onion compote.

16. Coarsely chop tomatoes and olives and spread over the compote.

17. Crumble the cheese over the tartlets.

18. Bake for 15 mins, until the cheese has melted.

19. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with porchetta and garden salad.

Asparagus Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Frittatta

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I have been quite busy enjoying the sun and fresh air to spend time fiddling around in the kitchen lately. After 2 hours pulling off the weeds and cultivating the fast growing vegetable garden, the last thing on my mind is cooking up a three course meal or anything sophisticated.

Still! Just enough energy to chop some vegetables and beat half dozen eggs for a tasty frittata! Good anytime: breakfast, lunch or dinner with one or two pieces of toast.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 small onion

1 cup cremini mushrooms

6 anchovies

12 asparagus spears

1 cup cherry tomatoes

3 celery stalks with leaves

2 zucchini squash

6 eggs

¼ cup cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Italian parsley to garnish

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in an oven-safe pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

3. Chop onions, mushrooms, celery, and zucchini.

4. Stir fry chopped onions, celery and mushrooms with the anchovies for 5 mns.

5. Add the tomatoes and zucchini.

6. Snap the asparagus and layer on the softened vegetables.

7. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with salt and pepper using a fork.

8. Pour the egg mixture into the pan.

9. Top with cheese and bake for 15-20 mns.

Meatballs alla Puttanesca

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Rainy days in Alberta. Crazy how green and lush everything just turned!

The happiest are the cows out there, in the field, jumping from one patch to the next, grazing the tender shoots!

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What a contrast with the summery Victoria Day weekend! Good thing I finished planting Adam’s tomatoes in their sunny spot, my strawberries and my flowers in the remaining pots and hanging baskets!

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The lettuce, radishes, beets and snap peas were already sprouting last week, stimulated by the heat. Of course, I don’t have rubber boots and it is muddy in the vegetable garden. I cannot wait until the end of the rain to check things out.

Comfort food is what I need today…Meatballs are not the most original food but I would like to share this lip-smacking recipe with you. To make them, I mixed the ground beef with oats and olive oil, instead of breadcrumbs or eggs to keep the meat in cohesive yet moist and balls. I also added pungent dry mustard and flavourful Italian herbs to complement and offset the sweetness of the onions and tomato paste.

Meatballs are tasty on their own as an appetizer or finger-food at a potluck party. Dipped in tzatziki…Yum!

This time I made a variation of the puttanesca, a classic Italian tomato sauce that uses anchovies, olives, and capers to infuse the meat with homey-yummy goodness. I served the dish over giant pasta shells topped with fresh raw zucchini slices, grated Crotonese cheese and Italian parsley.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings (about 2 dozen):

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 cup rolled oats

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons Italian herbs

2 tablespoons dry mustard

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

¼ cup flour

Olive oil

For the sauce:

2 celery stalks

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

6 anchovies

1 carrot

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 small orange pepper

16 ounces canned Cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons capers

½ cup Moroccan dry-cured black olives

For the topping:

1 small zucchini squash

Italian parsley

Crotonese cheese

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.

2. Start the sauce by chopping then sautéing the onion, celery, carrots and anchovies until soft.

3. Stir in chopped mushrooms and pepper and sauté for 1-2 mins.

4. Add the cherry tomatoes, season and let simmer for 15 mins.

5. While the tomatoes simmer, in a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the rolled oats, chopped onion, herbs, dry mustard, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper using a fork.

6. Roll the ground mixture into 2 tablespoon-size balls and coat with flour.

7. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.

8. Sauté the meatballs, until brown on all sides.

9. Transfer the meatballs into the tomato sauce and let simmer for ½ hour, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Chipotle Sausage Macaroni Casserole

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As I have come to realise, the simplest dishes are often the tastiest and casseroles are one of them. I understand that spring has definitely arrived, and barbecue season with it, but if you live in Alberta, expect the unexpected.

Just like last week in Calgary: warm and sunny Wednesday, blustery and snowy Thursday!

With days like that, skip the salad and welcome a bowl of chicken soup or a warm, comfort meal with a cheesy crust on top!

In this all-in-one comfort food, I just precooked the macaroni, added zesty capers to the vegetables I had in my crisper. The chipotle peppers add both heat and smokiness to the tomato sauce. Before baking, I snipped the Italian sausages allow the spicy tomato-vermouth broth to infuse the meat and speed up the cooking process. Everything to make the King of Casseroles happy!

Ingredients for 6-8 servings:

2 ½ cups macaroni

1 celery heart

1½ cup cremini mushrooms

1 yellow pepper

1 small red onion

1 small jar capers

4 to 6 chipotle peppers

4 Italian sausages (Note: Omit for the vegetarian option)

1 28-ounce can tomato

1 cup dry vermouth

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Italian herbs

½ cup freshly grated pecorino

Salt and pepper

1. Precook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 2 mins then drain. (The pasta should be firm to the touch)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Chop celery, mushrooms, yellow pepper and red onion and add to a casserole dish.
4. Stir precooked pasta, capers and chipotle into the vegetables.
5. Snip the sausages into 2 inch morsels using scissors and add to the dish.
6. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and stir into the vegetables with herbs and seasoning.
7. Cover and bake for 40 mins until the sausages and the pasta are cooked, stirring in the vermouth after 20 mins.
8. Top with cheese and brown for 5-10 mins.

Cinnamon Tomato Pork Tenderloin and Smoked Paprika Oven Fries

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Put pork on your fork!

That’s the slogan that Alberta Pork uses to incite the public to eat porcine meat and help the farmers’ crisis. Has it worked? As of late, pork producers have decided to donate their excess to the Food Bank instead of destroying their animals.

For my part, I am trying to keep up and come up with new recipes. Pork likes sweet and sour, as I found with my apple-mango, honey-nectarine and tamarind experiments. The tomato marinade I used here would be perfect for barbecued baby back ribs, but because the tenderloin is leaner than the ribs, cinnamon and cloves enhance the sweetness of the tomato in a very different manner. The dark and syrupy mushroom-infused soy sauce, which does not taste as salty as tamari sauce, adds more depth to the marinade. Instead of white vinegar, I used cider vinegar to thin the marinade which is much milder. For the calorie conscious ones, the accompanying oven fries are a must – Keep the skins on! They are rich in Vitamin C!!!

Ingredients for 2 generous (or 4 small) servings:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

1 teaspoon black peppercorn

1 teaspoon cloves

1 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the pork tenderloin in a sealable plastic bag or a bowl and add black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon, soya sauce, bay leaves, tomato paste, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hrs.

3. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

4. Transfer into an oven dish and roast for 20 mins, until the internal temperature reaches 150 F.

5. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and tent with foil for 5 mins.

6. Carve the meat and serve with oven fries and green beans.

Smoked Paprika Oven Fries

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4 russet potatoes

1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon Italian herbs

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash and slice the potatoes.

2. Preheat the oven to 425F.

3. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes with the paprika, herbs, olive oil and seasoning.

4. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 mins until golden and crisp, flipping the fries after 20 mins.

Sweet Macadamia-Chocolate and Savoury Cheddar-Sun Dried Tomato Scones

Le weed-end, c’est sacré! Sacrebleu!

Weekends are sacred! Is it just me or do you also live for your weekends? A gorgeous, sunny Saturday afternoon and nothing to worry about - unless you are a grad student stuck in the lab, trying to complete the last experiments that will set you free from your slave-driving boss!

Friday, 4 pm…no 3:30 pm. Traffic is already backed up, but for once this week, nothing will take that smile off your face. Not mine, anyway. Shut the car door, put my sunnies on. Turned CKUA on. Already cruising off the office politics, planning for a well-deserved glass of wine and a relaxing fin de semaine.

This weekend, you might have planned for afternoon tea with you girlfriends or a brunch with your in-laws, and scones are an easy treat to make. They are best freshly baked, but they barely need any kneading to achieve flakiness and lightness. I just simply wanted to treat myself with something other than muffins for brunch, plus I got to snack on the leftover for goûter instead of cheese and crackers. The buttermilk dough I found in Chatelaine is not only light but, but also slightly tangy. I decided to divide my dough into two portions for sweet and savoury scones, but you can easily make two separate batches to scale it up.

These scones are decadent enough to be enjoyed on their own, but feel free to enhance your experience with simple yogurt dips! A berry yogurt is the perfect match for the rich and sweet macadamia and chocolate scones. For the cheddar and sun-dried tomato scones, a plain yogurt spiked with lime juice and a pinch of salt. YUM!

Ingredients for 12 scones:

2 cups baking or all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg

½ cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons milk

For 6 sweet scones:

1/3 cup macadamia nuts

1/8 cup dark chocolate chips

For 6 savoury scones:

½ cup grated yellow cheddar

¼ cup sliced sun dried tomatoes

1 small red onion (about ¼ cup)

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

2. Stir in sugar using a fork.

3. Cut the cold butter into the flour until crumbly.

4. In another bowl, whisk egg with buttermilk.

5. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.

6. Mix with a wooden spoon. Divide the dough into two bowls at this point if you want to make sweet and savoury scones.

7. With floured hands, add in chopped macadamia nuts and chocolate chips for the sweet scones; cheddar, sun dried tomatoes and red onion for the savoury scones.

8. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

9. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Gently knead the dough for 10 secs, just enough to mix the filling in.

11. Gather and pat the dough onto a floured board to form a ½ inch-thick disk.

12. Cut out scones using a floured small glass.

13. Place the scones about 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheets.

14. Lightly brush with milk and bake for 13 mins, until light golden.

15. Cool on a rack and serve with yogurt.

Saturday Night Homemade Pizzas

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Bardeco at the corner of St-Mathieu and Lincoln in Montréal, then Royal Pizza in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona were my weekly, lazy-let’s-order-in night favourites.

I used to order pizza in all the time, but it was too much cheese, too much salt that I woke up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth!!! I also bought pre-packaged pizza crusts from the grocery stores, but they tend to be too soggy!

…Until I discovered homemade pizzas.

Easy, cheap and most delicious!

The great thing about homemade pizza is that you can make the dough, forget about it for a few hours, and knead it again for a short second rise while preparing the toppings. If you plan ahead, you could let the dough rise while you are out and about, relaxing at the movies or splurging on a new pair of Arnold Churgins!

Even better, you get to create your own pizza. Anything you can imagine for tasty homemade pizzas: barbequed red peppers, piccantelli olives, anchovies, and fresh buffalo mozzarella and herbs! Infinite possibilities! You have here two toppings for you to try. For the adventurous palate, the first one combining apples, capicollo, with Serrano peppers is sweet, savoury and spicy; the second one with tomatoes, anchovies and olives is for the conservative palate.

I adapted the recipe for the dough from the Joy of Cooking, added a tiny bit more water and reduced the amount of salt.

Ingredients for 2 pizza crusts:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cup warm water

2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings for Pizza#1:

1 egg yolk

¼ cup mustard

2 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar

100 g capicollo

1 apple (or grapple: grape-flavoured apple)

1 red pepper

1 small red onion

4 Serrano peppers

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings for Pizza#2:

¼ cup tomato paste

4 slices pancetta

6-8 anchovies

1 tomato

1 yellow pepper

2 tablespoons capers

¼ cup piccantelli olives

Italian herbs

¼ cup grated parmesan, preferably grana padano, or gruyere

Fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water.

2. Let dissolve for 5 mins.

3. Stir in the olive oil with sugar and salt, then the flour.

4. Knead the dough for 10 mins to form a smooth and elastic ball.

5. Place the ball of dough in a bowl, cover and let rise for 2 hrs in a warm location, until doubled in size.

6. Punch and divide the dough into two balls.

7. Lightly knead, wrap in plastic film and let rise again while you prepare the toppings.

8. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

9. Grease or line two pizza pans.

10. Roll the dough using a rolling pin and place on the lined pans.

11. Allow the dough to relax before adding the toppings.

12. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 mins.

13. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Slow Roasted Beef with Roasted Vegetables

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Spring is finally here and this simple and delicious roast, with its ratatouille, is the best way to celebrate the return of long and warm days! What I like about this roast, just like for the rack of pork roast, is that both meat and side vegetables are cooked at the same time, in the same pan. The meat is seared in the pan to create a crust then roasted at low temperature, so that the vegetables do not get carbonized but simmer gently into a roasted ratatouille. Also, the meat is placed on the rack to preserve its integrity, while allowing the juices to drip into the vegetables underneath. As for the leftovers, you can carve enough meat for roastbeef on baguette enhanced with a cold ratatouille salad.

Ingredients:

3 pound (1½ kilogram) eye of round roast beef

1 cup fresh parsley

½ cup walnut halves

2 or 3 garlic cloves

4 cup zucchini squash

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 small red onion

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

4 ripe tomatoes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 275 F.

2. Roughly chop the vegetables into 2 inch cubes and slice the onion.

3. Place vegetables and onion in the bottom of the roasting pan.

4. Chop together parsley, walnut halves and garlic.

5. Mix ¾ of the parsley mixture with the vegetables.

6. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

7. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over high heat.

8. Season and pan-sear the roast until all the sides are brown.

9. After letting the roast rest for 5 mns, cover the roast with the rest of the parsley mixture.

10. Place the roast on the rack.

11. Cook the roast for 1 ½ to 2 hrs, until the internal temperature reaches 140 F.

12. Remove from the oven and tent with foil for 5-10 mins.

13. Carve the meat and serve with the roasted vegetables (Tip: For a kick fix, drizzle some balsamic vinegar into the vegetables before serving).

Slow-Braised Daikon and Shiitake Beef Shanks

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Another trip to the Chinese superstore! Another cartful of great, fresh produce and all you need for a succulent, slow-braised dish! This time we got daikon and shiitake mushrooms to cook with the whole, fresh beef shanks from the butcher’s counter. This recipe requires a few ingredients only and, as you will find out, two beef shanks and one giant Asian radish will fill your slow-cooker! The tomatoes and the peppers act as thickeners for the mild-tasting juices given off by the daikon root, at the same time they bring sweetness and depth to the dish.

Ingredients for 6 servings:

2 beef shanks (about 2 pounds)

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 daikon root

3 sticks celery

1½ cup shiitake mushrooms

Whole hot chillies to taste

½ to 1 cup dry white wine

Garlic stems

2 bay leaves

16 ounces can tomato

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the daikon, celery and mushrooms and transfer to the slow cooker.

2. Cut the stems off the peppers and add to the vegetables with the bay leaves. (NB: If you are sensitive to hot chillies, you can half them and remove the seeds or you can keep them whole and poke them with a fork to slowly let the heat diffuse into the dish)

3. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

4. Mix the flour with salt and pepper on a plate and coat the beef shanks with the flour mixture. Drain the flour and brown the meat in the hot oil.

5. Transfer the beef shanks to the slow cooker.

6. Chop the garlic stems and add to the hot pan. Stir-fry for 1-2 mns over low to medium-high heat.

7. Deglaze with the wine and stir in the leftover flour.

8. Let simmer for 2 mns. Pour the gravy over the meat.

9. Slow cook on high for 1 hour.

10. Add the tomatoes and cook for at least another 6 hrs, until the meat is fork tender.

11. Serve hot over steamed rice, asparagus or green beans.

Homemade Cremini Ricotta Cannelloni with Sweet Basil and Tomato Sauce

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If you need a change from vegetarian lasagna, go for these whole wheat cannelloni. Instead of being layered with the pasta, cremini mushrooms and ricotta cheese make a substantial filling for these square pasta crepes. The sweet fragrance of purple basil infuses not only this pasta dish but also your kitchen, making it warm and inviting. Perfect comfort food after shoveling your snowy sidewalks!

Ingredients for 3 generous servings:

1/3 basic pasta dough using whole wheat flour

Cremini and ricotta filling for 6 cannelloni:

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 small onion

1 tomato

1 cup fresh purple basil

½ cup ricotta cheese

½ cup dry white wine

Sweet basil tomato sauce:

6 anchovy filets

1 16-ounce tomato can

1 carrot

2 celery stalks

1 small onion

½ bunch fresh purple basil

1 cup romano cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the basic pasta dough.

2. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

3. Chop onion, mushrooms, tomato and basil.

4. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

5. Stir fry the onion and the mushrooms until soft.

6. Add the tomato and the purple basil. Let wilt for 2 mins.

4. Add the wine and the cheese and let simmer for 5 mins until all liquid is evaporated. Season to taste.

8. Chop onion, carrot and celery for the tomato sauce.

9. In a saucepan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.

10. Stir in the onion until translucent then add anchovies, carrot and celery.

11. When the vegetables are soft, add the canned tomatoes.

12. Slightly mash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to liberate the juice.

13. Add the purple basil to the pan and season to taste.

14. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer until serving.

15. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

16. Roll the pasta dough and cut into 4 inch squares.

17. Cook the pasta squares in boiling salted water for 3 mins.

18. Plunge the squares into cold water and drain on paper towel.

19. Spoon some filling on the first third of each square and roll.

20. Place the rolls in a baking pan, with seams underneath.

21. Cover the rolls with the tomato sauce and freshly grated cheese.

22. Bake for 20 mins and serve immediately.

Tomato Cream Cheese Almond Tarts

Guess I am on my tart and pie kick this month! These tomato tarts are another easy way to enjoy my almond pastry, especially if you have extra dough from the chocolate tart recipe. The savoury cream cheese enhances the sweetness of the baked tomatoes, matching the cookie-like tart shell. Perfect as a first course or side dish!

Ingredients for one dozen tartlets:

For the pastry:

1 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup almonds

1/4 cup sugar

½ cup cold butter

1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons cold water

1 pinch of salt

For the filling:

1 bag of two dozen cherry tomatoes

1 package light cream cheese

¼ cup Dijon mustard

1. Chop the almonds in a food processor until ground.

2. Mix the ground almonds, the sugar and the salt with the flour in a bowl.

3. Cut the butter into small cubes and, using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until obtaining coarse grains.

4. Slightly beat the egg yolk and stir into the flour mixture with a fork.

5. Add the water and knead for 1 mins to form a ball.

6. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 mins.

7. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

8. Line tartlet pans with parchment paper.

9. Roll the dough on a floured board.

10. Cut the dough and drape it over the lined pans.

11. Bake blind for 20 mins, until golden.

12. Chill in the fridge for 15 mins.

13. Generously brush the tart shells with mustard.

14. Slice the cream cheese and lay on the mustard.

15. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place on the cheese with their skin up.16. Bake for 15 mins, until the tomatoes are browned.

17. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve immediately.

Shrimp Stuffed Squid with Hot Tomato Sauce

This recipe is for those who have always associated squid with chewy, rubbery and tasteless chunks of fish. Just like me, you will be surprised at the tenderness of these stuffed squid. Most stuffed squid recipes just use the tentacles, but because my squid was armless, I had to go for shrimp.

A mouth-watering dish to enjoy with gnocchi!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 squid

2 slices pancetta

1 stalk celery

1 medium carrot

16 (about 1 cup) medium shrimp

Fresh thyme

2 slices bread

For the sauce:

2 small leeks

4 medium tomatoes

1 cherry bomb (or hot pepper)

½ to 1 cup dry white wine

Olive oil

1. To make the stuffing, finely chop the celery and carrot and peel the shrimp.

2. Brown the pancetta in a non-stick pan over medium high heat.

3. Remove the pancetta from the pan and drain on paper towel.

4. Add the chopped vegetable to the pan and stir fry for about 5 mins, until soft. 5. Transfer the vegetable to a bowl.

6. Add some oil to the same pan and stir fry the thyme and the shrimp for 1-2 min, until just pink.

7. Coarsely chop the shrimp and add to the vegetables.

8. Toast and chop the bread in the food processor.

9. Stir the breadcrumbs into the shrimp vegetable mixture.

10. Rinse the squid with cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

11. Close each squid at one end using skewers and stuff with the shrimp stuffing.

12. Close the other end of each squid with skewers.

13. Heat some olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick pan.

14. Place the stuffed squid in the pan and fry all sides for 1-2 mins. Remove the skewers.

15. To make the tomato sauce, chop the leeks, the tomatoes and the cherry bomb.

16. In a small pan, heat some olive oil over medium high.

17. Stir fry the leek then the tomatoes for 5 mins. 18. Add the hot pepper and pour ½ cup of wine into the pan.

19. Let simmer for 2 mins and add the pancetta into the sauce.

20. Pour the sauce on the squid and add the rest of the wine to the pan.

21. Stir and cover for 5 to 10 mins.

22. Serve immediately.