Crispy squid with quince aoli

Ingredients

For the poached quince

• 2 large quinces, peeled, cored and halved lengthways
• 100g sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• Juice of ½ lemon

For the aoli

• 3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise (if homemade, even better)
• 50g poached quince, plus 1 tbsp syrup
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped

For the crispy squid

• 3 medium squid
• 50g plain flour
• 50g cornflour
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Paprika, to serve
• Rocket leaves, to serve
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

For the poached quince, tip the fruit into a medium-sized pan and cover with 750ml water. Stir in the sugar, honey and lemon juice, then bring to a simmer. Keep on the heat for 60-90 minutes, until the quinces and syrup have turned pink – cooking time will vary depending on the quinces. Leave to cool and transfer with the syrup into a large, sterilised jar.

To make the aoli, blitz the mayonnaise, quince, syrup, garlic and a pinch of salt in a food processor until smooth, then transfer to a serving bowl.

Clean the squid, then cut into 1cm rings. Keep the tentacles too. Mix the flour, cornflour, paprika, cayenne and some seasoning together in a bowl, add the squid and toss lightly with your hands to coat.

Heat a pan of vegetable oil to roughly 180C – a cube of bread should brown in 30 seconds when dropped in. Cook the squid in batches. Fry for a minute or so until crisp and golden then drain on kitchen paper.

Serve with a sprinkle of salt, paprika, rocket leaves and lemon wedges.

Image: Stuart Ovenden

Recipe from The Orchard Cook: Recipes from Tree to Table by Stuart Ovenden (Clearview)