Chipirones en su tinta (baby squid in ink sauce)

Start by cleaning the Baby squid: pull out the heads and innards, remove the transparent quill, rinse well, and reserve the tentacles and tubes; slice the bodies into rings if large and roughly chop the tentacles.

Warm a couple of tablespoons of Olive oil in a wide skillet or saucepan over medium heat and sweat the chopped Onion until translucent.

Add the diced Green bell pepper and cook until softened, then stir in minced Garlic and sauté 30–60 seconds until fragrant.

Add chopped Tomato and cook down until it forms a thick sofrito, about 8–10 minutes.

Pour in the Dry white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits, and let it reduce by half.

Stir in the Fish stock and add the Bay leaf; bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

Blend in the Squid ink until the sauce turns a deep, glossy black, then return the prepared Baby squid to the pan. Season with Salt and freshly cracked Black pepper.

Simmer gently, covered, for 8–12 minutes (depending on size) until the squid is tender but not rubbery; if the sauce seems too thin, simmer uncovered a few minutes to reduce, or if too thick, thin with a little more stock or water.

While the squid cooks, tear the Day-old bread into small pieces and soak briefly in a few tablespoons of warm stock, then squeeze out excess liquid and roughly crumble; stir these crumbs into the sauce near the end of cooking to thicken and add body.

Finish with a generous scatter of chopped Parsley and adjust seasoning with more Salt and Black pepper to taste. Serve hot with extra crusty bread to mop up the rich ink sauce.