Sunday, April 9, 2017

Grilled Baby Octopus

Grilled baby octopus is one of our favorite dishes, for a main meal or appetizer. The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. Believe it or not, even children love this dish!

Food Lust People Love: Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled baby octopus: The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. #SundaySupper


Years ago when we lived in Brazil, our house was just a block from the beach. Living so close to the coast meant fresh seafood at reasonable prices, even during a time of hyperinflation. We fell in love with octopus there and have looked for it and cooked it everywhere we’ve lived, ever since. This same recipe can be made with larger octopuses. Just extend the cooking time until they are tender and cut them into manageable pieces for grilling.

Ingredients
1 lb 10 oz or 750g baby octopus, ink sacs and beaks removed
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 red chili peppers, stems removed
1/2 cup or 120ml hearty dry red wine
A few generous grinds from a black pepper mill

Method
Cook the octopus in a covered saucepan or pot over a medium heat with the garlic, peppers and wine for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Food Lust People Love: Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled baby octopus: The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. #SundaySupper
The liquid will come out of the octopus and the whole thing will look very soupy.

Food Lust People Love: Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled baby octopus: The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. #SundaySupper


After the 15-20 minutes are over, take the lid off and continue to cook until the liquid reduces by at least half. Perhaps another 15-20 minutes. The octopus should be fork tender now.

Put the baby octopus on a hot grill just off to the side of the charcoal. Put the lid on because these are going to sputter and spit.

Remove lid every couple of minutes and shift the octopus around. Remove when charred your satisfaction. Ours took about 10 minutes.

Food Lust People Love: Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled baby octopus: The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. #SundaySupper


Depending on the size of your octopus you might want to chop them up into bite-sized pieces but if they are really tiny, you can serve them whole.

Serve with plenty of fresh lime juice squeezed on and a good sprinkling of flakey sea salt.

Food Lust People Love: Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled baby octopus: The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. #SundaySupper


Enjoy!

This week our Sunday Supper group is sharing our favorite seafood recipes. Many thanks to Em, our event manager and our host, Claire from Sprinkles and Sprouts.

Love seafood? Check out these Sunday Supper Recipes:

Appetizers

Main Dishes


Food Lust People Love: Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled baby octopus: The octopus is cooked until tender with garlic, hot chili peppers and red wine, then grilled to add smoky flavor and crunch. #SundaySupper


Sunday, April 2, 2017

Cupboard Tomato Mozzarella Salad

A beautiful, colorful, delicious salad made with mostly cupboard ingredients plus tomatoes, mozzarella and purple onions. Great for barbecues, buffets and potlucks. It's even better the next day!



I know that is a strange name but I honestly couldn’t think of a better one.  This gorgeous salad is made mostly with ingredients from your kitchen cupboards, with the exception of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and a little onion. And perhaps a bit of chopped basil. But look at the colors!

It’s great for a buffet table or to bring to a potluck because this salad just gets better after it sits a while.  So forgiving, beautiful and delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 large purple onion


  • 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice or vinegar
  • 10.5 oz or 300g red grape tomatoes (I used NatureSweet Cherubs.)
  • 10.5 oz or 300g yellow grape tomatoes (I used NatureSweet Sunbursts.)
  • 1 jar (12 oz or 240g) marinated artichoke hearts
  • 1 can (drained weight 6 oz or 170g) pitted black olives
  • 1 can (15 oz or 425g) chickpeas or garbanzo beans
  • 8 oz or 226g fresh ciliegine or cherry size mozzarella balls
  • 1 can (14 oz or 400g – 7.5 oz or 212g drained) hearts of palm
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • A few leaves of fresh basil (optional)


Method
Slice your onion very thinly and add to a salad bowl that will be big enough for all of your ingredients.   Pour in the juice or vinegar and set aside for a few minutes.


Open the jar of marinated artichokes and add them to the onion, with all of their marinade, along with the tomatoes and mozzarella.


Drain the cans of olives and chickpeas, rinsing the chickpeas if necessary, and add them to the salad bowl.


Drain the can of palm hearts and cut into pieces about the size of your tomatoes.


Add them into the bowl.


Toss and then sprinkle the whole bowl with sea salt.  Add black pepper to taste.


If you are adding basil, stack the leaves, roll them up and slice them thinly.  Add to the salad and toss again.  (This salad did actually have basil but, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to photograph that step.)

Bring to your sister’s house for a barbecue or wherever you have been fortunate enough to be invited.


Enjoy!



My mom took this one showing a little of the basil.  Thanks, Mom! 
If you are looking for more dishes using fresh tomatoes, you are going to love this week's Sunday Supper. Check out the link list below to see what our talented tastemakers are sharing. Many thanks to our host, Rini from Healing Tomato, and our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections.

Sunday Supper Recipes Using Fresh Tomatoes

Chicken Recipes

Main Courses

Pizza, Pies, and Pastas

Side Dishes

Snacks

Soups and Salads

Monday, March 27, 2017

Apple Oatmeal Muffins #MuffinMonday

Apple Oatmeal Muffins have a bit of sugar, to be sure, but I like to think those are counterbalanced by the oats and apple to create a reasonably healthy muffin, perfect for breakfast on the go, or snacking.

Food Lust People Love: Apple Oatmeal Muffins


Happy Muffin Monday! This month we've got a short list of great muffins to share and a host to thank. I'm in Atlanta for our nephew's wedding and my good friend Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm volunteered to help with the behind the scenes work.

It's been an amazing weekend, reconnecting with family and sharing the joy of the happy couple as they begin their married life, made even more enjoyable for me, knowing that Wendy was in charge and taking care of business.

I baked these muffins before I left Dubai and left them behind for my lovely house guest, Daphne. She's in Dubai for her own event, Fully Booked, an art book exhibition with vendors, that was running concurrently with Art Dubai. It was a huge success and I am so proud of her!

I hope you like these muffins as much as she did!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g all purpose flour
1/2 cup or 42g quick oats
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 large apple

Method
Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Generously grease cups and top of 12-cup muffin tin.

Whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.



In another bowl, whisk together milk, oil and egg. Peel, core and chop the apple into small pieces and put them immediately into the wet ingredient bowl. Stir.



Add all the milk mixture to flour mixture. Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened.



Divide your batter relatively evenly between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Food Lust People Love: Apple Oatmeal Muffins


Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 before removing muffins from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. These apple oatmeal muffins are tender and fluffy on the inside with a nice crust on the tops.

Food Lust People Love: Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Aren't these trivets fun? I received them as a gift from Daphne. They come from Good Thing


Enjoy!

Who wants a muffin? We've got some lovely ones for you today!


#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.


Pin it!  

.