Huh, Cuttlefish...whodathunk I would ever make it?

I came home with what I thought were giant frozen scallops, only to find upon thawing that they were cuttlefish. I was immediately intimidated, because I've never cooked cuttlefish before, and because I'm not really a fan of cuttlefish (I've had it on several occasions and can eat it, but it's not something I typically seek out). So, to the internet! I found this recipe, made a few adjustments based on the ingredients I had on hand, and ya know what? It was really good! My only criticism is that it was a bit too salty, and coming from a self-professed saltaholic, that's saying something. I think that I could have (should have) left the bacon out, but I had been intent on serving something with bacon to go with the smokiness in the rousanne wine that was to accompany the meal. The recipe called for 90 minutes of cooking, but after an hour the cuttlefish was incredibly tender and ready to go. The recipe was from About.com, and I've cut and pasted it below, with notes in red where I deviated:

Cuttlefish is a relative of both the octopus and the squid, and it tastes like a cross between the two: Not as rich as octopus, not as lean as calamari. This is a Greek cuttlefish recipe that uses fresh fava beans, green onions and white wine. Fresh fava beans are important to the success of this dish, although you can use fresh lima beans in summer. You can also substitute squid or octopus for cuttlefish, which is most often found frozen in Asian markets.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cleaned cuttlefish or squid
• 1/2 onion, sliced into half-moons
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T. dried oregano
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. finely chopped lemongrass (optional) (I didn't have any, so I used about 1 tbsp of grated lemon zest instead)
  
• 1 cup white wine (This was from the bottle that my car rental guy gave me, from his home-grown stash, and it was definitely more sherry-like than dry white wine but it worked just fine).
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken or fish broth (I used chicken broth)
  
• 10 scallions or green onions (Didn't have, omitted)
  
• 1 cup fresh (shelled) fava or lima beans (Didn't have, but I did serve up some canned giant beans in tomato sauce on the side that I found at the supermarket and really like)
  
• Lemon wedges to serve (skipped this entirely, the lemon zest was plenty)
  
• Fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

Cut your cuttlefish into bite-sized pieces, about an inch long. Do the same with your scallions or green onions. I cut the onions on a bias to get that pretty diagonal shape.

Make certain your fava beans are shelled. Favas come in a large pod, and then live in thick jackets that will give you gas if you eat them. If your favas look pale green and have a black or yellow line on them, they need their jackets removed. Do this by boiling them in salty water for 1 minute, then dunking into cold water. The jackets will slip off easily.

In a shallow pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes and cook the 1/2 onion you cut into half-moons. Do this slowly; you don't want them to brown. Cook until translucent and soft, about 8 minutes.

Add the cuttlefish and the lemongrass and mix to coat with the oil. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the bay leaves, oregano, the teaspoon of salt and the white wine and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let this cook down for 5 minutes.

Add enough chicken or fish broth to almost -- but not quite -- cover the cuttlefish. Mix well, cover and cook over low heat for 90 minutes.

After the 90 minutes has passed, check the cuttlefish. Is it still really chewy? I mean really chewy? Cook it for another 15 minutes. Cuttlefish is supposed to be chewy, but it should not be like rubber.

Once the cuttlefish is the texture you want, add the scallions and the fava beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature with rice or crusty bread. Grind black pepper over the dish at service, and offer lemon wedges to each guest. This dish needs the acid from the lemon, but each person will want a different amount. (I think that perhaps the acidity from the lemon juice might have cut down on some of the saltiness/richness, and now that I think about it, it would have been a good idea.)