This recipe is from a restaurateur of the Dolce Vita: Giggi Fazi.
I modified it slightly from the original recipe because I eliminated the vinegar.
Fazi in his recipes books always writes in Roman dialect enclosing in every recipe a funny story.
The beautiful Roman dialect, a dialect no longer spoken, has been replaced by slang.
This recipe can still be found in many restaurants in the capital. The sauce that forms is of absolute goodness and is perfect for being cleaned up with a piece of bread. We love it so much doing that that we have a specific verb: fare la scarpetta.

Baby squid in tomato sauce

  • Preparation time: 60 minutes
  • Ingredients for 6 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 900 gr or 2 lbs. of baby squid (baby octopus)
  • 110 gr or 4 oz of peeled tomatoes
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 piece of chili pepper
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Salt to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Wash and clean the squid eliminating the eyes, the beak, and the entrails present in the head.
  3. Chop the parsley.
  4. In a pan with the oil, brown the garlic in pieces with the chili. Add the baby squid and pour in the wine, letting it evaporate. Then, continue cooking covered for thirty minutes on a low heat.
  5. Add the peeled tomatoes diced with a fork and cook for another ten minutes on low heat.
  6. Turn off the heat and let the dish rest well covered for about twenty minutes. Season with salt and dust with the chopped parsley.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • The smaller the garlic is minced, the more it releases flavor. So, if you want only a slight hint, you can fry it whole; otherwise, you can chop it finely.
  • Be sure to avoid causing the garlic to darken too much because it becomes hard to digest.
  • The peeled tomatoes must be of excellent quality.
  • Always salt at the end of the cooking.