The perfect squid recipe

Alas, I lost it... But here's as much as I remember, and if it comes up again I'll update this.

I have loved squid ever since I saw my mum tear a transparent plastic spear (the spine) from the flabby white flesh. It was a Ripley vs. the alien moment. The marshmellow-like texture and rich meaty taste also fuelled my love. However, each time I've tried to cook squid the texture has been closer to that of a condom rather than a mousse.

Recently we decided to try again and came across a superb recipe which we've subsequently lost. But the gist of it was something like this...

Mince together a tomato, onion, red pepper, chilli and a couple of cloves of garlic. A hand blender is ideal for this.

Take 3-4 medium-sized cleaned squid and fry for 3 minutes on a hot flame with a little oil. Add a couple of tablespoons of pastis (I guess Pernod would do) and flambe ie. set the whole thing alight. Better not to be wearing hairspray at this point. Set squid aside.

In the same pan, add the sauce mixture, cook for a couple of minutes and then add the squid, cover and cook for a further 15 minutes on low heat. Garnish and voila.

The rule we learnt about squid: you have to cook them for either a really long time or a really short time.