Squid Stuffed With Wild Rice, or Calamars Farcis aux Riz Sauvage

This is my interpretation of Chef Michel Roux Jnr's Calamars Farcis aux Riz Sauvage, or Squid Stuffed with Wild Rice.  I've never made or eaten squid stuffed with rice--let alone a wild rice--so it was an interesting dish to try and replicate, sans written instructions.  The accompaniment is mussels that are first cooked in white wine, then shocked in an ice water bath and later warmed in butter, garlic and parsley.  Although it looked complicated on the BBC's Master Chef Professionals episode, it wasn't.  However, I did "cheat" and purchased squid bodies that were already cleaned by my fish monger.  I opted not to make the fried tentacles that were a part of Chef Roux's dish; but, nonetheless, it was very good and the flavours were prominent.. All in all...a very good dish and one that I would definitely recreate again...and again...and again.  Chef Roux Jnr would be proud.  I hope. 

For the Squid and Wild Rice Stuffing:
4 oz. white onions, chopped
6 oz. red pepper, chopped
pinch saffron threads, or 0.25 grams
4 oz wild rice
1 quart of lobster stock (32 Volume ounces), preferably home-made
2 egg yolks
3 squid bodies, cleaned

 

For the Mussels:
12-15 mussels, PEI of course
1 1/2 cups White Wine (I always use Mondavi Chardonnay)
1/2 quart lobster stock (or 16 Volume ounces)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons sliced garlic
3 Tablespoons chopped parsley

For the Squid/Wild Rice Stuffing:
First, we make the wild rice--like a pilaf, according to Chef Roux.  Rinse the wild rice, then drain.  Take the chopped onions and red peppers and sweat them for about 5 minutes.  Add to this, the saffron, the rinsed wild rice and the lobster stock..  Let the mixture cook, covered, in the oven at 350 degrees.  Check every 1/2 hour. It does require at least 1 1/2 hours.  When the rice is done, remove from oven and add the egg yolks. Stir.  Now the stuffing is ready.

Fill the squid bodies with stuffing.  Then secure each with a bamboo or stainless steel toothpick. 

For the Mussels:
Steam mussels in the white wine with some garlic (about 1 Tablespoon). After mussels open, remove mussels from pan and purge them into an ice water bath to stop them from cooking.  When cool enough to handle, remove mussel meat from their shells.  Set aside. Add the lobster stock to the pan containing the broth that the mussels were steamed in.  This is now the mixture to steam the stuffed calamari.
To Finish:
For the calamari:  Add stuffed calamari to the mussel/lobster broth combination and let cook for about ten minutes, or until the calamari is soft and the egg in the stuffing mixture is cooked through.   After stuffed calamari is cooked, remove from pan and let rest for a few minutes (about 3-5); then slice the stuffed calamari into 1/2 inch thickness.

For the mussels:  Warm the melted butter, garlic and parsley mixture.  Add the mussel meat to this and warm through.  This is the added garnish to the dish.

To Plate:  Slice the cooked/stuffed calamari..  Add a dollop of mussel mixture and that's it.