Squid Fish Pie or "Tielle à la Sétoise"

I know, it's only the end of August, but somehow it feels like the end of summer, maybe because vacations are coming to an end for most people, that kids are getting their school bag ready for the beginning of classes, or maybe just because the weather isn't quite playing along anymore.
This is a time of year I always enjoyed, I was one of those geeks kids who liked going to school and I enjoyed the anticipation of the start into a new school year. Even now, it always feels like a good time to do things differently, some other kind of "new year resolutions" if you will.

But slowly walking towards autumn, it is nice to take something with us from this time of year we all enjoy and wait for. It could be the memory of a clear blue sky, the quiet we felt resting in the middle of the afternoon with a good book, the pride of walking your way up a mountain (a very small one in my case) or just the taste of a dish that feels like holidays.

Every year I come back with a dish (or two) that really feels like summer to me, and everytime I make it again, it won't fail to remind me of the holidays that are linked to it. So even on a gray day, I can bring back some sunny days I've experienced during the time away.
This year dish includes squids, which I love and have loved ever since I was a kid (there is a picture of a six year old me shovelling in "fristo misto di mare" during a vacation in Italy to prove it), there something about this chewy consistency that works for me.

Nothing fancy of complicated in this dish, just buy some good ingredients, and take your time to cook the filling, because with squids, whether you cook them very quickly or for a long time, everything in between just won't work.

Tielle à la Sétoise (from "Cuisine du Sud")

Serves 2

400gr Puff Pastry
500gr Squid Fish (or Octopus)
1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic
300gr of Tomato Sauce
2 Stigmas of Saffron
Olive Oil
Thym, Oregano, Marjoran...
Piment d'Espelette
Salt, Pepper
Parsley

Peel and cut the onion. In a big pain heat up some olive oil and add the onion, cook until soften. Add the squid fish cut into rings and cook for at least 10 minutes, add salt and pepper.

Add the crushed clove of garlic, the piment d'espelette, thym, oregano and marjoran (to your taste). Pour the tomato sauce and add the safran, cook until the sauce thickens and leave to cool down.

Roll out the puff pastry, and cut out two circle, one the size of your dish (in this case 20cm) and one a bit bigger.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the bigger circle of puff pastry in your oiled pie dish, pour in the squid tomato filling and add a bit of freshly chopped parsley.
Place the second circle of puff pastry on top and seal the two circles together using your fingers.

With a brush, use a bit of the remaining tomato sauce from the filling to brush the top of the pie. Place it in the oven and cook for 35 minutes. Serve with a salad.