Loving Boyfriend has an odd late night snack

last night as we were lazing around watching television before bed, Loving Boyfriend decided he was hungry (well, Loving Boyfriend was watching television, i was reading my newly arrived How to be a Domestic Goddess, by Nigella Lawson, which i hope to be baking out of soon as so many of the recipes look positively scrumptuous).

this is after i served him up a truly delicious meal of yellow squash ribbons with red onion and parmesan...one of our 'busy night' favorites (recipe follows below), that generally does keep you full, especially when combined with some of Farmgirl's crusty artisian bread with butter.

anyway, we're sittin' in the living room together all calm and quiet and all of a sudden he belts out with: "i'm craving squid in their own ink! yep, that's what i want right now - squid in their own ink!" (no kidding, those are his exact words)

what an odd craving to have at 10:00 at night.

but, lowe and behold, because of my weakness for strange new foods to try, we had picked up a can of squid in their own ink on a trip to mexico last march! ah ha! craving satisfied!

then of course there was me, chasing after him: "wait, wait! let me get my camera!"


believe it or not, it's actually not bad. i decided against putting a picture of the actual squid on here, as they aren't very pretty unless they're alive (i'm a marine biologist) or at least not cooked in their own ink - sounds kind of cruel and morbid, no? it's an Argentinian specialty, according to Loving Boyfriend, whose Argentinian friend's family introduced it to him, but i've also seen it in Spanish restaurants. i do have to admit that from a can, they taste a bit like smoked oysters. but, should you ever have a chance to venture to Washington, D. C., do stop by a restaurant called "Jaleo." they have a version of this that is melt-in-your-mouth tender, with its own unique and subtle flavor that is just superb. plus, the chef there, Jose Andres, was Bon Appetit magazine's chef of the year for 2004. he deserves the title, AND it's tapas, so it's affordable (essential for us poor starving grad students...um, except i guess we're just poor, not starving, as this is a food blog). we actually went there twice in a four-day trip.

Yellow Squash Ribbons with Red Onion and Parmesan
from Cooking Light magazine, adapted slightly

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 medium yellow squash (you could use zucchini too, or a mix)
1 cup red onion, sliced into thin slices, vertically (walla wallas or vidalia would be great too)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave squash into ribbons. Discard core and seeds.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add squash, onion, and garlic, and cook until onions are tender.
3. Add salt, red pepper and black pepper. Mix together, then sprinkle with cheese. Servings: 4 (3/4 cup) side-dish sized servings or 2 large servings with crusty bread.