Calamari in zimino

Squid Braised in Greens

If you’ve read our Glossary of Italian Cooking Terms, you’ll know that the term ‘in zimino‘ refers to a whole class of dishes in which the main ingredient (usually seafood) is braised in spinach or swiss chard. And perhaps no dish represents this class better than this one, calamari in zimino, from Tuscany and Liguria. For this blog post, I relied mostly on a recipe offered my old standby Florentine chef and food historian Giuliano Bugialli, with a few adjustments to suit my personal taste.

You might be surprised at the combination, but the sweet earthiness of the greens perfectly complements the brininess of the mollusk. And don’t be shocked at how long the greens cook for. They are meant as a kind of ‘sauce’ so it is perfect fine—intended, in fact—that they break down a bit and lose some of their bright green color. What the dish may lack in bright colors it more than makes up for in taste. There is a reason this unusual dish has become a classic of the Italian repertoire.