Shrimp and Squid Cocktail

Things are heating up at our house - and food prep is winding down. In two days I will be on a plane for my first trip to India. Not wanting lots of leftovers, I haven't cooked as much this week, instead I am blogging recipes that have fallen through the cracks.

You are going to think it is crazy that a recipe this amazing wasn't blogged about the second it was consumed!

This is one I recommend for a dinner party. It is a make-ahead dish, it looks elegant, has a "wow" factor in the presentation, and oh yes, it TASTES GREAT!


If you have an aversion to squid, feel free to use scallops, or just shrimp. Make it as spicy as you want by controlling the shakes of the Tabasco bottle. Use more cilantro and less onion. Chop a habanero into the marinade if you wish.

It is easy to make it your own!


Shrimp and Squid Cocktail (Food and Wine)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Hot sauce
2 pounds shelled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 pound cleaned squid, cut into 1/2-inch rings, tentacles halved
2 pounds tomatoes—halved, seeded and finely diced
2 Hass avocados, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 scallions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Plantain chips, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. In another large bowl, whisk the lime, orange and tomato juices with the tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Cook the shrimp in the boiling water just until curled and pink, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the ice water. Return the pot of water to a boil and add the squid. Cook for 30 seconds, until firm but tender. Drain immediately and add to the ice water.

When cool, drain the shrimp and squid and pat dry. Add to the bowl with the juices and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Close the bag, pressing out the air. Refrigerate overnight, turning the bag occasionally.

Transfer the seafood salad to a bowl and stir in the tomatoes, avocados, scallions, onion and cilantro; season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, scoop into martini glasses and serve with the plantain chips.

Pre-Valentine's Tapas Night

valentine's tapas, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Friday night we did dinner at home. It was decided in advance that a quiet evening with music and tasty snacks was in order, so enter tapas.

The evening started with Spanish olives and gazpacho, with glasses of Rioja to wash it down. This part was prepped before Bo arrived home and it gave us a chance to sit and talk and listen to some Flamenco music.

When our stomachs felt satisfied, we headed to the kitchen for the teamwork part of the evening. While Bo steamed the Spicy Mussels with White Wine, I made the Calamares A La Plancha and the Ajillo Mushrooms (blogged about here).

Bo thought it important to have a shot of me cooking

This part of the evening was fun, as we don't cook together very often. As you can see from the title picture, it all came to the table with crusty bread for sopping up the mushroom and mussel juices, and of course more of that fantastic Rioja.

Our evening ended with Chocolate-Almond Torte, which I hinted about in this post. As with the rest of the dishes here, more will be said on this recipe later. I can tell you this: Save your calories. It is worth it!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Weekend!

Calamari with Blackened Tomato

Calamari with Blackened Tomato, originally uploaded by Kim De.

I am sure you are not surprised to see calamari on my menu. Bo wasn't either. I think he is quite please with this new obsession of mine!

To continue with my craving for all flavors Mexican, I opened Tacos by Mark Miller. So far, everything from that book has been a winner and the calamari recipe looked no different.

One of the things I am enjoying about this book is the bold flavors made with small amounts of ingredients. Simplicity inducing mouth-watering reactions. My favorite.

I made one tiny adjustment in that I served the seafood over brown basmati rice instead of in a taco. I can assure you this was a great way to do this, but please try the taco an let me know how it was!

It may be a few days before my next post - my sick computer is going into the hospital and I haven't tried loading pictures into Bo's laptop, so we will see. No worries, though. Many more recipes on the horizon, lots to tell you when I return!

Calamari with Blackened Tomato (Adapted from Tacos by Mark Miller)

1/4 olive oil (preferably Spanish)
1/2 small white onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 1/2 lbs calamari, cleaned and washed, body sliced into 1/4 inch rings and tentacles left whole if small
1 large tomato, blackened and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 jalapeno chie, dry roasted and chopped
2 cloves garlic, dry roasted and chopped
3/4 t salt
3 t chipotle chile powder (you can substitute regular chile powder if you cant find chipotle)
1 1/2 T chopped fresh cilantro
12 (5 1/2 inch) soft corn tortillas

Blackened Tomatoes
Remove the stem, but keep the tomato whole. Blacken, turning frequently, in a single layer in a cast-iron or heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, or on a baking sheet under a broiler until charred and blistered on all sides, about 20 minutes in a skillet or 5 minutes under the broiler.

Dry Roasted Chiles and Garlic
Place unpeeled cloves in a dry cast-iron or heavy bottomed skillet and roast over low heat until the garlic softens, 30-40 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally. Or roast in an oven at 350 until soft, 20-30 minutes. When done the garlic should be creamy and sweet, soft enough to slip out of the skin when you squeeze the clove.

Place the chiles in a hot cast-iron or heavy bottom skillet and cook, turning every 5 minutes until all sides are evenly blistered.

Taco Filling
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat and saute the diced onion until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion to a small saucepan and add the calamari, tomato, jalapeno, garlic, salt, chile powder and cilantro. Let the mixture come to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until barely done, about 7 minutes (don't overcook or the calamari will be rubbery). Remove from heat and serve immediately, folding in warmed tortillas or over rice.

Tapas Night

Tapas, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Last night we decided it was time for tapas! We dont do this very often, which means I got to research recipes!! There is almost nothing I like better then doing research for dinner.

I knew I wanted seafood, calamari or mussles, and I figured a couple of vegetables were important - but what ever I made had to have sauce for dipping bread!

Finally I settled on this menu: Manchego Cheese, Spicy Calamari, Cold Asparagus, Ajillo Mushrooms, and a Rioja red wine.

First the Asparagus. Simple to make ahead, I boiled the stalks for 3 minutes before plunging them into icy water for 30 minutes then moving them to the refrigerator. A quick dip made from dijon mustard, mayonnaise, finely minced garlic and a squeeze of lime juice was thrown together as well, giving it several hours to meld.

The mushrooms were in stiff competition with the calamari for the best dish. Baby portobellas were simmered with a mixture of olive oil, dry sherry, garlic and other aromatics until they were soft and their juices worked with the oil and sherry to make sauce for dipping. Absolutely amazing, full of flavor, mouth-watering - well you get the picture. A firm sourdough was perfect for sopping up the juices and the sherry added a dimension I wasnt used to with my mushrooms! This recipe, or a lower calorie variation, will become a regular side dish!

Finally the calamari. What can I say - I think calamari has become my new favorite food. I have been ordering it at restaurants with amazing frequency (just look at my NYC blog) and tasted many variations of it. Fried, seared, sauteed, grilled and chilled - I love it every way!!!

Since this meal needed a spicy component (because what meal doesnt), the calamari was our choice. I have become comfortable with cooking this particular squid recently, so I decided to use components of recipes I found online with tastes I have had at restaurants to come up with the recipe you see below. It also provided a sauce for sopping, with different textures and flavor variations, it was a wonderful contrast to the mushrooms.

It was a perfect meal to follow a long hike! Bo's verdict? The calamari was his favorite and although the mushrooms follow closely in my mind, I must concur!


Spicy Sauteed Calamari

1 pound squid (full-bodies or a mix of bodies and tentacles)
2 T of dried red pepper flakes (more if you like things spicy like we do!)
4 T tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic, large chopped
1 T Olive oil (1 additional T may be needed if the juices began to dry out)
2 T Dry Sherry (1 additional T may be needed if the juices began to dry out)
salt and ground black pepper

Slice the calamari bodies into 1/2 inch rings. Do not rinse them if you want a seafood flavor to the sauce. If you dont care for this flavor, rinse and dry well. (We did not rinse them)

Heat 1T olive oil in a pan on medium heat and cook the garlic 2 minutes or until they are translucent and beginning to brown. Add your calamari, sherry, tomato paste, red pepper, salt, and crushed black pepper to taste.

Saute on medium-low heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste at this point and add more seasoning (including red pepper) if needed. Be prepared to add an additional tablespoon of oil and/or sherry if the saute begins to dry up. Touch the calamari - they should yield slightly without be tough. Be careful not to overcook them as they will become rubbery. Remove from heat and top with parsley or chopped chives to serve.

Ajillo Mushrooms (Adapted from Spain Recipes)

1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil
4 cups (8 oz) mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried red chile, seeded and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon Spanish paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Lower the heat to medium and add the mushrooms, garlic, sherry, lemon juice, dried chile, paprika, and salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic and mushrooms have softened.

Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve on small earthenware platters.