Squid with Garlic Chili Olive Oil

Despite the title, this wonderful tapas dish also has smoked bacon pan-fried to crispy nuggets of deliciousness, along with the chilies, garlic and squid. And please don’t forget the squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end. It elevates this dish to brilliant like a flood of hot sunshine on a sparkling white Majorcan beach.

Sunday Supper is getting the party started this week with tapas recipes. Delicious bites or snacks that are made especially for eating with drinks. And since, as I mentioned in my #CocktailDay post, this is my birthday week, I'm going to pretend that they are all for my own virtual party. Yay! Such fun!

When we were living in Paris, we took advantage of charter flights to head south and get away from the cold, damp winters that extended way too long into months we felt should have been quite rightfully spring. I’ve already written about Portugal here but one of our other favorite holidays was to the island of Majorca. To date this is our only venture into Spanish territory but I remember it so fondly, with its fresh seafood, white sandy beaches and clear, aquamarine waters that I knew immediately what I wanted to cook when the tapas theme was announced for Sunday Supper.

Majorcan traditional cooking uses mostly seafood and pork, so a dish of bacon and squid, with some garlic and chilies was perfect! I don’t mean to imply that this dish is authentic in any way or that I remember eating it there. I do want to say that it brought me back, in a way that only the clean smell of the sea in seafood and a good imagination can. I can almost feel the sand between my toes.

That little blondie is our elder daughter - Majorca, 1994

Ingredients
4 oz or 115g smoked slab bacon
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 or 2 small red hot chilies
Olive oil
1 lb or 450g whole fresh squid (I prefer baby squid, if I can get them.) Or about 9 oz or 260g already cleaned and sliced squid rings.
Sea salt flakes
Small handful fresh parsley leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked off
1/4 large lemon

Method
Slice your garlic thinly and split the red chilies in half lengthwise. Chop your parsley and fresh thyme. Set aside.

Chop your bacon into the small, slim chunks the French like to call lardons.

Pan-fry them with a good drizzle of olive oil over a low heat while you clean and slice the squid.

For those of you using squid rings, you can skip this next part. Move ahead to where we are making sure the bacon is golden and crispy.

To clean the squid, first grab hold of the part that has the tentacles and pull it out of the tube-y bit. (I tried to find the technical terms for you but I didn’t think they’d be helpful after all. Who would have known what the mantle is? Yeah, me either.)

You can discard the leggy body bits from the squid but I happen to like the look of the little tentacles once they are cooked. If you agree, cut that part off just below the eyes and discard the part with the eyes. The ink sac is in that part. If you happen to pierce it, just wash everything off with water and put to dry on a paper towel. The squid ink is harmless. In fact, a lot of cooks use it to color pasta or add it to sauces.

Run your finger around inside of the tube-y bit until you find the hard thing that feels and looks like plastic. Pull it out. It should be almost as long as your squid tube so if it breaks off short, fish around and get the rest of it out and discard.

See, that thing. Take it out and throw it away.

Go check on the bacon. It should be starting to render the fat and fry gently. Give it a stir.

If you do decide to keep the leggy bit, turn it over and pinch out the hard bit with the black spot in the center and discard it.

Go check on the bacon. Give it another stir and make sure it isn’t burning.

Now peel off all the colored stuff from the outside of the squid tubes. You can use your hands but the easiest way is to rub it off with dry paper towels and then discard them. Rinse your squid in clean water and put it on paper towels to dry.

Your squid is clean! Slice it into wide rings.

Direct your attention to the bacon and turn the heat up a little if it’s not golden and crispy yet.

When it is golden and crispy, add in the garlic and chilies.

Sauté briefly until the garlic starts to brown around the edges and then put all the squid in at once. Give it a good stir. The squid should turn white and start to curl up.

Now is the time to sprinkle with sea salt and then the parsley and thyme. Give the whole thing a good stir.

Add in another generous drizzle of olive oil. Flavored olive oil is the best for dipping bread in so don’t be shy!

Squeeze in the juice of your lemon, give the dish one more good stir, and serve with slices of a fresh crusty loaf of French baguette.

Enjoy!


Join our Sunday Supper host, Conni from Cosmopolitan Cornbread and travel with us to Spain or some other sunny clime for a festival of tapas.

• Agave Truffles from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Artichoke Heart and Manchego Spread from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Bacon Wrapped Calamari from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Balsamic Raspberries with Mascarpone Cream from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Black-Eyed Pea Cowboy Caviar from Shockingly Delicious
• Blueberry and Lemon Yogurt Quesada from In The Kitchen With KP
• Bruschetta Topping from What Smells So Good?
• Caramelized Onion & Gruyere Bites from The Foodie Army Wife
• Cheesy, Tortellini Tapas & Spicy Bacon Ranch Dip from Daily Dish Recipes
• Chorizo Filled Dates Wrapped in Bacon from I Run For Wine
• Chorizo Manchego Toast Tapas from Family Foodie
• Chorizo with Spicy Sweet Potato Tapas from Soni’s Food
• Clams in Green Sauce (Almejas en Salsa Verde) from The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Croquetas de Pollo from Cookin’ Mimi
• Gambas al Ajillo from Manu’s Menu
• Gambas al Ajillo y Clementina (Shrimp with Garlic and Clementines) from FoodieTots
• Giardiniera Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Goan Beef Croquettes from Masala Herb
• Herb and Citrus Marinated Olives from Magnolia Days
• Herb Roasted Almonds from Curious Cuisiniere
• Krab filled Avocado Tapas from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Low-Carb Salmon Croquettes from Yours And Mine Are Ours
• Manchego-Stuffed Spanish Meatballs from The Weekend Gourmet
• Mushroom Chevre Crostini from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Patatas A La Riojana (Rioja-Style Potato & Chorizo Stew) from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Patatas Bravas from Supper for a Steal
• Pear, Brie, and Honey Crostini from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pocky Cake Pops from NinjaBaking.com
• Polenta Crostini Bites with Caramelized Mushrooms: Cicchetti – A Venetian Tapas Traditionfrom La Bella Vita Cucina
• Roast Onions with Blue Cheese and Pine Nuts from Healthy. Delicious.
• Roasted Bone Marrow with Citrus Salad from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Roasted Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Serrano Ham and Manchego Croquetas with Smoked Pimenton Aioli from My Other City By The Bay
• Shrimp and Chorizo Tapas from The Texan New Yorker
• Smoky Paprika Peppers from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Squid with Garlic Chili Olive Oil from Food Lust People Love
• Stuffed Green Queen Olives with Garlic Infused Olive Oil from MarocMama
• Tomato Bread from girlichef
• Tortilla Española from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Tortillas De Papa y Atun (Tuna and Potatoes Tortilla) from Basic N Delicious
• Tortillita de Camarones from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

When you are eating tapas, you need a glass of wine: Best Wines To Pair With Tapas from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog.

Pin Squid with Bacon and Garlic Chili Olive Oil!

And for those of you who scrolled all the way to the bottom, I reward you with two more Majorca holiday photos. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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Brioche aux Pépites de Chocolat

Brioche is a subtly sweet eggy yeast dough, kneaded with added butter.  The addition of semi-sweet or dark mini chocolate chips elevates it to favorite status for breakfast or snack time. 

Happy birthday, Sunday Supper!  This week we are celebrating the second anniversary of the creation of Sunday Supper, a movement dedicated to getting folks back around the family dinner table, eating together.  Along with recipes, we are sharing our favorite Sunday Supper memory from the last year.  For my recipe, I decided to go back to my first Sunday Supper post and choose someone else’s recipe from that list to adapt.  I first participated just over a year ago and the theme was “bucket list.”  I tackled lemon soufflé.  As I looked through those recipes, I realized that one of my favorite bloggers, Nancy from Gotta Get Baked, had made something that was also on my bucket list:  Brioche.  So yay!  Another year and another challenge to scratch off the list!

My favorite Sunday Supper memory really speaks about the hearts of the men and women who form this group.  It’s not even post, theme or recipe related.  One night, a couple of months back, one of our British members wrote a heartfelt plea on the Sunday Supper Facebook group wall.

What followed were jokes and commiserations and virtual handholding.  When the next morning rolled around, she came back to thank everyone for seeing her through.  The thread ended with a comment from our wonderful leader, Isabel from Family Foodie.

And, Isabel is exactly right:  That is what makes this group special.

And, now on to the brioche!  I’ve given these special sweet rolls their French name because, when we lived in France, they were my daughters’ first choice of snack when we’d walk down to the local bakery of an afternoon, and that brings back another lovely memory for me.  You can’t beat brioche with little chocolate chips for a great breakfast or snack!

Make sure to scroll down and see all the other celebratory recipes and favorite Sunday Supper memories we have for you today.

Ingredients
For the dough:
4 cups or 500g flour
1 packet (1/4 oz or 7g) dried yeast
2/3 cup or 155ml milk
1/3 cup or 70g sugar
1/2 cup or 110g butter, very slightly softened
2 eggs
100g mini semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

To decorate before baking:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
About 3 tablespoons or 30g pearl sugar

Method
Warm your milk in the microwave by zapping it for about 30-40 seconds.  Sprinkle on the dried yeast and one teaspoon of the sugar.  Stir gently and set aside for about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of your standing mixer, measure your flour and add in the rest of the sugar and the two eggs.  Pour in the milk/yeast mixture.

Mix well and keep mixing until you have a nice homogeneous dough.  This gets pretty stiff and you may need to hold the mixer down if it starts to travel.  Cut your butter into chunks and add about one-third of them to the dough.

Knead, in your mixer, until the butter is fully incorporated. (You can do this by hand but it takes some muscle and time.)

Add the second third of the butter to the dough and knead until incorporated.

Add the final third of the butter and knead again until incorporated.

You should have a stretchy, silky, buttery dough.

Form a ball with the dough and leave it in the bowl.  No need to grease the bowl, it's buttery enough.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it doubles in volume.  (If you are living in a cold place, fill your sink with a few inches of hot water and set the covered bowl in there.)

Meanwhile, prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with stiff paper cups.

Punch down the dough and remove to a clean work surface.  Pour on the mini chocolate chips.  Fold and knead the dough until the chips are evenly distributed.

They look like they don't want to mix it but perseverance here is key.

Cut the dough into 12 reasonably similar pieces.

Roll them in balls and set them inside the prepared muffin cups.

Set aside for about an hour in a warm place to rise for the second time.  (If you live in a cold place, you can do the hot water in the sink trick again but do be careful to put just a little water so it doesn’t come up and wet the stiff paper cups and dough when you put the muffin pan in.)

When you are about 15 minutes from the end of the second rising, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Beat your egg yolk with the tablespoon of milk.  When the brioche are ready to bake, brush them lightly with the egg yolk/milk mixture and sprinkle on the pearl sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the brioche are golden and sound a bit hollow when tapped.

Enjoy!

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Sunday Supper!  It's been an honor and a privilege to be a part of this wonderful group.  Look at all the other celebratory recipes and special memories my fellow members have shared!

Brilliant Breads and Breakfast Fare:

• Brioche aux Pépites de Chocolat from Food Lust People Love
• Broccoli, Potato & Cheese Egg Cups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Celebration Strawberry Crepes from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Homemade Brioche from Masala Herb
• Onion Cheddar Cheese Focaccia from Flour On My Face
• Poached Pear Bread from Hip Foodie Mom

Amazing Appetizers and Cocktails:

• Blood Orange Gin Fizz from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Blue Cheese Walnut Tarts from Magnolia Days
• Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Stuffed Butternut Squash from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Cheesy Twists from What Smells So Good?
• Key Lime Pie Martini from girlichef
• Pizza Dip from The Food Army Wife
• Slow Cooker Party Mix from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos

Spectacular Soups and Salads:

• Creamy, Tangy Bacon Salad Dressing from Daily Dish Recipes
• Day at the Beach Healthy Tuna Salad from Shockingly Delicious
• Low Carb Spicy Chunky Vegetable Beef Chili from Yours and Mine Are Ours
• Luscious Fruit Salad from Pescetarian Journal
• Quinoa and Buffalo Chicken Salad from In the Kitchen with KP

Enticing Entrees:

• Carne de Porco Alentejana | Portuguese Pork and Clams from Family Foodie
• Chicken Shami Kebab from Soni’s Food
• Chicken and Rice Dinner in the Crock from Momma’s Meals
• Curried Chicken from The Foodie Patootie
• Healthy Chicken Tetrazzini from Citronlimette
• Imagination Stew from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Orecchiette with Chicken, Brocccoli, Mushrooms and Onions from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Runny Egg Risotto from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Sautéed Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce plus Arugula, Radicchio and Escarole Saladfrom Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Seafood Stew from Healthy. Delicious.
• Spice-Crusted Fish Tacos with Confetti Salsa from The Weekend Gourmet
• Spicy Roasted Squash and Wild Rice Bake from Curious Cuisiniere
• Spicy Shrimp Tempura Rolls from kimchi MOM
• Spinach Proscuitto Macaroni and Cheese with Walnut Topping from Noshing with the Nolands
• Tuscan Chicken Spinach Soup with Roasted Red Pepper from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

Decadent Desserts:

• Azuki Red Bean Ice Cream from The Ninja Baker
• Banana Pudding Parfaits from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Birthday Cake Macaron from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Caramel Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars from Pies and Pots
• Chocolate Mousse Torte from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cinnamon Sugar Churros and Chocolate Sauce from Neighborfood
• Crumb Cake Brownies from Table for Seven
• Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Pops from Ruffles & Truffles
• Gluten-Free Epiphany Cake from Happy Baking Days
• Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Cookies by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Happy Birthday Cake Batter Truffles from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Kahlua Toffee Ice Cream Cake from Webicurean
• Mini Chocolate Bundt Cake with Raspberry Sauce from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes from Basic N Delicious
• S’mores Snack Cake from Alida’s Kitchen

Roasted Chestnuts

Roasted chestnuts are easy to make at home, on the barbecue pit or in the oven. Either way, the chestnuts are succulently delicious. Give them a try!

Okay, first let me say that this isn’t even a recipe.  Just a method.  And I debated with myself a few hundred times after adding it to the list of Sunday Supper posts because Sunday Supper is all about bringing folks back around the family dinner table with good food and I wasn’t sure this qualified.   Our theme this week, hosted by the lovely Tammi of Momma’s Meals, is food inspired by holiday songs or movies.  Mine is, of course, The Christmas Song.

I roasted the first group of chestnuts over coals at a friend’s house, and they were good but, frankly, we were all full from a good grilled lunch and enthusiasm was low for a snack.  So, on the verge of removing my name from the Sunday Supper list a couple of weeks later, I roasted the second set, albeit in the oven.  I opened the foil packet of the roasted nuts and the steam came up in small swirls from their peeling brown husks.  As I worked the hard shell off, then the softer inner shell, I popped that first sweet piece of chestnut into my mouth and, well, I made up my mind.  A method is enough.  Let me take you back.

It was late fall of 1985 and New York City was already bitterly cold.  There’s a special smell about the city in the winter.  Steamy, almost fetid air gusts from tunnels and drains below the streets, the faint eau-de-mothball drifting off the citizens, the exhaust fumes hanging low, trapped by the heavy cold atmosphere, and the chestnuts roasting over coals in big metal barrels.  

We had arrived on a red-eye from Houston, to visit my father who was living an hour’s train ride north of the city in the bedroom community of Bronxville. The goal:  Ordering my wedding dress. Those of you who have watched Say Yes to the Dress will recognize the name Kleinfeld, the Brooklyn shop where brides have been buying dresses since 1941. Well, that's where I went to get this little number.

You can't even see how huge these sleeves are here!  And the train was six feet long.

The entire weekend was a whirlwind of action and excitement but one of my fondest memories is warming my hands around the warm brown paper bags full of roasted chestnuts, bought off a street corner vendor in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. And if you haven’t tried roasted chestnuts, you just need to. 

There are tons of recipes on the internet using roasted chestnuts, ranging from soup to stuffing to salad, but I’d like to encourage you to peel them and pop them straight into your mouth, and savor the sweet nutmeat of winter with your family.

Ingredients
1 pound or 1/2 kilo of fresh chestnuts

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.  Or light coals in your barbecue pit.  The fire is ready when the coals are all grey around the outside.)

Cut a crisscross in the rounded side of each chestnut with the tip of a very sharp knife.

Wrap the chestnuts in a double layer of foil, cut side up.

Roast for around 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven or in your barbecue pit.  If using the pit, set the foil packet off to one side, not directly over the hot coals and put the lid on enough to keep in the heat without smothering the fire.

Remove from the oven or barbecue pit and carefully open the foil.  Allow the chestnuts to cool enough to handle and then peel and eat!

Meanwhile, at our house, we are dancing to Christmas music, decorating a tree and celebrating a 23rd birthday today.  Happy birthday to my precious Victoria!

Woo hoo for almost Christmas birthdays! 

This is such a fun Sunday Supper week!  Check out all the songs and movies that have inspired us to cook and bake all these great dishes!

Party Appetizers & Snacks

Oven-Roasted Applesauce Scented with Rosemary & Vanilla inspired by the song “Christmas in the Trenches”- Shockingly Delicious
Roasted Chestnuts inspired by the song “The Christmas Song” – Food Lust People Love
A Popcorn Trio inspired by the song “Let it Snow” - Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
Chai Tea Abominable Snow Buddies inspired by the movie “Rudolph” – Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Raisin Bran Muffins for a Crowd inspired by the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” - In The Kitchen With Audrey and Maurene
Icicle Candy and Reindeer Snacks inspired by the movie “Snow” – Treats & Trinkets
A Christmas Carol Plum Pudding inspired by the movie “A Christmas Carol” – No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
Yukon Mashed Potato Cakes inspired by the movie “Rudolph” - Cookin’ Mimi
Christmas Pudding inspired by the song “Over the River and Through the Woods” - A Kitchen Hoor
Pumpkin Pudding inspired by the movie “Nightmare Before Christmas” - Basic N Delicious
Elf-Inspired Christmas “Grams” inspired by the movie “Elf” - MarocMama
Sugarplums inspired by the movie “The Nutcracker” – Happy Baking Days
Chai Spiced Roasted Nuts inspired by the song “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” - Take A Bite Out of Boca

Festive Main Dishes

Maple Syrup Spaghetti- inspired by the movie “Elf”- Momma’s Meals
Who Hash inspired by the movie “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” - girlichef
Ginger Orange Glazed Cornish Hens inspired by the song “The 12 Days of Christmas” - Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
NY Hot Dog with Sabrett-style Onion Sauce inspired by the movie “Die Hard” - Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Classic Caesar Salad inspired by the movie “The Santa Clause” – The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Individual Meatloaves & Horseradish Mashed Potatoes for Mommy’s Little Piggies - inspired by the movie “A Christmas Story” – The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Christmas Waffles inspired by the TV special “A Claymation Christmas Celebration” – Curious Cuisiniere
Filthy Animal Pizza inspired by the movie “Home Alone” – Foxes Love Lemons
Chicken Orzo Soup inspired by the song “12 Days of Christmas” - Family Foodie
Brandied Candied Sweet Potatoes inspired by the song “Christmas Is The Time To Say ‘I Love You’ ” - Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Sweet Holiday Treats

Gin and Tonic Cupcakes inspired by Adam Sandler’s ” The Chanukah Song” - The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars inspired by the movie “Love Actually” – Magnolia Days
Gingerbread Marshmallows inspired by the song “Marshmallow World” – Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies inspired by the movie “The Gremlins” – Killer Bunnies, Inc.
White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge inspired by the song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” – Alida’s Kitchen
Snowball Cookies - inspired by the movie “White Christmas” - The Foodie Army Wife
Penuche Fudge inspired by the movie “Elf” – Pies and Plots
Hot Chocolate Cookies inspired by the movie “Santa Clause” - Mess Makes Food
South Pacific Coconut Tres Leche Cake inspired by the movie “South Pacific” - The Ninja Baker
Cookies & Cream Fudge inspired by the movie “Elf” – The Messy Baker

Cozy Drinks

Toasted Coconut Hot Cocoa - inspired by the song “Let It Snow”- Chocolate Moosey
The Christmas Gram inspired by the movie “Elf” – An Appealing Plan
Eggnog Hot Chocolate inspired by the movie “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” - Peanut Butter and Peppers
Vermont Hot Cocoa inspired by the movie “White Christmas” – Kudos Kitchen By Renee
Spiked Hot Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Floats inspired by the song “Holly Jolly Christmas “ -NeighborFood

This is Christmas: Wine Pairings for Holiday Themed recipes – ENOFYLZ Wine Blog