Imagine if Sisyphus were a cook. Instead of pushing a boulder up a hill over and over, he had to shove stuffing into teeny, tiny squid tubes. Then, every time he managed to get some shoved in there and pulled out his finger, the stuffing came out with it.

I love squid, so I wanted to try this recipe I found in Great Recipes of the World: Greece. They recommend using large squid tubes, but that you can use the smaller ones if you can get about one pound’s worth. Unfortunately, the large tubes were nowhere to be found in my midsized city, so I decided to make do with the smaller ones I could find at my nearest East-Asian market.

I cannot convey just how painstaking this process was. And, unless you have small fingers, this is going to be a complete non-starter for you. I have smallish hands and almost couldn’t manage this. My spouse almost withered away from starvation while I went through this process. There was also a lot of leftover stuffing, which I decided to add some of to the sauce, though it kept my sauce from getting terribly saucy.

Despite these setbacks, the flavors were delightful. A benefit of using the smaller tubes is that they made bite-sized morsels that didn’t need to be sliced like larger tubes would have made necessary. Also, not slicing them ensured that they didn’t fall apart completely on the plate. So, there were some advantages, but I won’t be making this again until I can forget just how much time it ate out of the day.

Stuffing:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 c. breadcrumbs
4 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 oz. halloumi cheese, grated
8 oz. cooked spinach (frozen & thawed is fine)
salt and pepper, to taste

Squid Ingredients:
4 squid tubes, each about 7 inches long (or 1 lb. small tubes if you’re a small-handed masochist)
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. dry white wine
rosemary sprigs
toasted pine nuts (optional for garnish)
parsley (optional for garnish)

To make the stuffing, heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat and fry the onion for 3 minutes, or until translucent.

Remove from heat and add the garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley, cheese, spinach, and a little salt and pepper. Stir until blended.

Dry the squid tubes with paper towels and fill with the prepared stuffing using a spoon. Secure the ends of the tubes with toothpicks.

To cook the squid, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the squid and brown on all sides. Remove from the pan.

Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and wine. Cook until the mixture becomes thick and pulpy.

Return the squid to the pan and add the rosemary. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Slice the squid into disks and serve on individual plates with the sauce. Garnish with pine nuts and parsley.