Tender Grilled Octopus

The secret to tender grilled octopus is baking it first in slow oven then after seasoning with marinade, grilling it over hot coals till it’s charred and crispy on the edges. 

After several years of little of no octopus sighting in the Channel Islands, this summer they are back with a vengeance. According to the lovely ladies we buy seafood from, they are crafty and clever and somehow manage to get into the crab and lobster traps to eat anything caught in there, leaving only the shells behind. 

It's gotten so dire that the local newspaper has printed articles urging us to eat more octopus! Not that we need any encouragement, but we are delighted to do our part. 

Tender Grilled Octopus 

Where to buy octopus? When we are in Houston, we buy fresh octopus at HMart. We especially like the baby ones. 

Ingredients

2 3/4 lbs or 1.25kg octopus or a portion thereof (I had two tentacles and partial head.)

1 whole head garlic

3 bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

1 chili pepper

6 oz or 177ml white wine

For the marinade before grilling:

Several sprigs parsley, stems removed

1 roasted pimento (piccante)

2 cloves garlic

Juice 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

½ teaspoon flaked sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to 300°F or 150°C.

Rinse the octopus in cold water. Put the bulb of garlic sliced in half, the bay leaves, thyme, chili pepper and white wine in a baking pan. 

Put the octopus on top. 

Cover and seal with aluminum foil and then place in the preheated oven and cook for one hour. Test with a fork for tenderness.

Trim tender parts off (usually the skinnier bits) and put the rest back in for another 30 minutes.

Once the octopus is cooked, remove from the tray and leave to cool. 

Separate the octopus tentacles, cutting them in half if they are very large, and cut the head into large pieces. You want pieces that are too large to fall through the grill but that are small enough to turn and manage on the grill. 

In a food processor, make a paste from the parsley, pimento, chopped garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. 

Pour the paste over the octopus and stir to coat. 

Light a charcoal fire. When the coals are red hot and turning grey, place the octopus on the grate. 

Cook for about 10 minutes, covering the grill if need be, turning the octopus regularly so that it gets lovely charred bits and lots of smoke flavor. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating National Grilling Month. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Grilled Stuffed Squid by Culinary Cam
• Grilled Tandoori Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Leftover Grilled Chicken Patties by Sneha's Recipe
• Neapolitan Pizza by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Tender Grilled Octopus by Food Lust People Love

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Firecracker Hot Dogs

Firecracker hot dogs are made with soft yeast dough is wrapped around hot dogs on skewers then baked until golden. The skewers are topped with cheddar cheese stars. They are perfect for Fourth of July or any summer party and they are so easy to make!

When our girls were young, about six and eight years old, we moved to Houston, Texas from overseas. It was the first time they had ever lived in the United States so we embraced Fourth of July in a big way. Of course, everyone needed one of those Old Navy t-shirts with the year on it each summer. We planned barbecues for that day and invited friends and family over to watch the fireworks with us. Because we had found the ideal spot. 

It was close enough to the big city-organized celebration at Eleanor Tinsley Park where the firework display was set off so we could see them, yet far enough away that we didn’t have to get involved in much traffic to get home after they were done. We parked our van on the corner of an empty grassy lot a couple of hours before the main event, setting out chairs and coolers and marking our territory. 

If you angled your chairs just right, there was a perfect view of the night sky between the buildings that wasn’t obvious from the street. It wasn’t long before others saw us and got the same idea. But we were always there first, in the prime location. 

We’d laugh and talk and enjoy the summer night, especially when there was breeze, the air redolent with the smell of bug spray and freshly mown grass. We’d tune the radio to whichever station was part sponsor of the fireworks display because there was always music choreographed to go along. 

No matter how many cars, no matter how many people, the excited crowd quieted down when the first flare went up. Our oooohs and aaaaaahs and wows were punctuated by the loud reports from the sky.  - Did you see that one! Look, look! It’s a heart. Oh, my goodness, a yellow rose! How do they DO that?  - Deep in the Heart of Texas dovetailed into classical music, merged with Yellow Rose of Texas on the radio. Everyone sang along loudly.

As the music built to a crescendo for the finale, the fireworks erupted one after the other in a long volley and then the sky went dark. There was a deep collective sigh as we packed up to head home again, feeling blessed.

Firecracker Hot Dogs

I used an extra sharp cheddar for the stars because that’s our favorite cheese but I found that it was rather crumbly at first because it was cold. As the cheese warmed up, it was easier to handle. Also, dipping the little star cutter in some olive oil makes the stars easier to remove. 

Ingredients

For the pizza dough:

1 package instant active yeast (1/4 oz or 7g)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups or 360ml warm water

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups or 565g flour

Olive oil

For the firecracker hot dogs:

2- tablespoons store bought or homemade chili sauce (plus extra for serving – optional)

16 hot dogs (The brand I buy has 10 to a pack. I won’t name names but I’d love to be one 🎶 so everyone would be in love with me.🎶)

8 oz or 225g block cheese (You won’t use the whole thing.)

16 wooden satay sticks or skewers

Method

To make the pizza dough, add the warm water and sugar into a bowl along with the yeast. Leave to prove for at least five minutes. If it hasn’t created foam, toss it out and buy some new yeast and start over. 

If it’s nice and foamy, add it to about 2 cups or 250g of the flour and mix well at a medium speed for 3-4 minutes. 

Add in the rest of the flour, a few tablespoons at a time, with the mixer still going. When the dough is too thick for the cake beater, switch over to the bread hook and keep adding flour. 

Once the flour is all incorporated, knead for a further 3-4 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and drizzle just a little bit of olive oil into the bowl. Roll the ball around in the oil to coat. Cover with a damp towel or some cling film and set aside to rest for about 15-20 minutes. 

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or baking parchment. 

Use some paper towels to dry your hot dogs. Push a skewer through each, till about 1 1/2 inches or 3.8cm shows out the top. 

When the resting time for the dough is up, lightly sprinkle your clean work surface with flour. Press the dough out into a rectangle. Use a pastry brush to spread the chili sauce evenly all over the rectangle of dough. 

Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to divide the dough into 16 relatively equal strips. 

Hold one skewered hot dog right over the end of one of the dough strips and wrap it around the hot dog right at the bottom, making sure to overlap the dough as you complete the first turn. 

Keep turning the skewer so that you are winding the dough up around it, until you get to the top of the hot dog. 

Wind the final bit of dough around the top of the hot dog and pinch the end to connect it to the dough by the skewer. 

Put the wrapped hot dog on your lined baking sheet. Continue until all the hot dogs are wrapped. 

Bake the hot dogs in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the dough is starting to turn golden. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through so that the hot dogs are evenly baked. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you create the cheese stars. 

Cut thick slices from your block of cheese and use a small star cutter to create 16 cheese stars. (See note above the ingredient list.)

Top each firecracker hot dog with a star. Serve with extra chili sauce on the side, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and my fellow bloggers and I are sharing dishes to celebrate Independence or National Day. Check out the links below.

• Firecracker Hot Dogs from Food Lust People Love
• Mushroom Poutine from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Oreo Ice Box Cake from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Patriotic Slushie from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Tri Color Biryani Rice from Sneha's Recipe
• Watermelon Pizza from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Marmite Butter Mashed Potatoes

These Marmite Butter Mashed Potatoes are a delightful savory dream on a spoon, made with yeast extract, butter, cream and milk. They are the perfect accompaniment to grilled steak or roast chicken. 

Marmite is admittedly a very divisive ingredient. It’s super salty and many people find its yeasty flavor too strong for their tastebuds. I like to think that maybe the naysayers just haven’t tried it spread very, very thinly on well-buttered toast. That was the gateway for me. The Marmite merges with the butter in a lovely way and each bite is a savory treat.

Over the years, I have increased the thickness with which I spread Marmite on toast and I’ve added it into many dishes to increase the umami factor. It is excellent in Bolognese sauce, for instance, or simply stirred through hot buttered pasta. It’s been one of my husband’s favorite things since childhood and I am grateful to him for introducing me to it.

Marmite Butter Mashed Potatoes

Marmite is a yeast extract, manufactured in the United Kingdom. It comes in a glass jar and is very thick and very dark. Some US supermarkets carry it in the international aisle but it can also be purchased online. 

Ingredients

For the Marmite butter: 

3 1/2 oz or 100g unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons Marmite 

Pinch flakey sea salt

For the mashed potatoes:

1 lb 5 oz or 600g potatoes

3 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/4 cup or 60ml milk

1/4 cup or 60ml whipping cream

Method

Mash the butter with the Marmite until completely combined. 

Add in the pinch of flakey sea salt and mix again to combine.

Wrap the Marmite butter up in a roll in a piece of cling film. Chill until needed. 

Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. 

Add the chunks immediately to a pot full of cold water so they don’t brown as you get the rest peeled and cut. 

Rinse the potatoes in fresh cold water and fill the pot again so that the potatoes are covered and stir in the salt. 

Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 10-12 mins until cooked through. Drain the potatoes in a colander.

Tip the milk and cream into the pan and heat them until they are warm. 

Add the potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher.

Then mash in half the Marmite butter.

Stir well until the Marmite butter is thoroughly mixed in.

Serve the mashed potatoes with the remaining Marmite butter on the side, in case anyone would like to add a little more.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and since it’s Father’s Day in many countries around the world, today we are sharing recipes for Dad’s Favorites. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the link list below. 

• Fried Perch by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Marmite Butter Mashed Potatoes by Food Lust People Love
• Milk Chocolate Mug Cake - Microwave by Sneha's Recipe
• Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Somehow We Have Landed on Korean for Fathers' Day: Bo Ssäm Recreated by Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Crispy Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs

These crispy iron skillet chicken thighs turn out with the loveliest crunchy skin, lightly seasoned with just salt, black pepper and cayenne. Flattening them somewhat with a meat mallet makes them cook faster.

This recipe is adapted from one in Cooking Light Magazine from way back in May 2015. I was introduced to it by a fellow blogger named Christiane whose blog was called Taking On Magazines One Recipe At A Time. It was a fun premise for a food blog and I loved her reviews of the recipes from various publications. 

Christiane doesn’t appear to be blogging anymore, which is such a pity but this recipe was such a winner that I made it the same day I read it. And have made it again and again since! 

Crispy Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs

Christiane says, and I concur, that the secret is not to move the chicken thighs in the iron skillet until the edges are brown. Also, as you will see from my photos, there will be spattering and smoke. If you have a spatter guard and fan vent, use them! Or open a window.

Ingredients

6 (6 oz or 170g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of extra fat

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

Optional for garnish: parsley

Method

Preheat your oven to 500°F or 460°C. 

While it preheats, place the chicken thighs, skin side up, on a cutting board. Place cling film over the thighs and use a meat mallet or small iron skillet to pound them out to about ¾-inch thickness. 

Pat the chicken skin dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle chicken evenly with fine sea salt, paprika or cayenne and freshly ground black pepper.

Turn the thighs over and sprinkle the other side. 

Heat a 12-inch iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. 

Add the thighs to the pan, skin side down and cook 9 minutes (leave them alone until the edges start to turn golden.) 

As mentioned above, this is the time to use a splatter guard and fan vent if you have them. There will be splattering and smoke! 

Turn the thighs skin side up and then transfer the hot skillet to the preheated oven. 

Bake for 9-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the iron skillet from the oven.

 Transfer the thighs to plates. Garnish with some parsley, if desired.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing country cooking recipes in celebration of National Country Cooking Month. In my opinion, it doesn’t get more country than cooking fried chicken in an iron skillet. Many thanks to our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the other country recipes below. 

• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Amish Country Casserole 
• Cook with Renu: Beet Greens Jowar Thalipeeth 
• Food Lust People Love: Crispy Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs 
• Palatable Pastime: Grandmother's Country Green Beans 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Macaroni Ranch Salad 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Shoofly Pie (Amish Molasses Pie) 
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Southern Tomato Sandwich 
• Sneha's Recipe : Stuffed Chicken Drumsticks In Saucy Tomato Gravy

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Crispy Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs!

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