Grilled Squid Skewers with Tomatoes Provencale

For some reason, food always looks more festive when you put it on a stick. Maybe it's something in our caveman roots, but it seems to be a universal truth- put something on a stick and it automatically tastes better. Last night, I tested out this theory with a simple grilled squid recipe.

Spicy Grilled Squid Skewers:

Marinate the squid bodies and tentacles in a mixture of olive oil, red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper (amounts are really up to you, I didn't measure anything), thread on bamboo skewers and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve hot or room temperature with wedges of lemon to spritz over the top if you like. One word of caution: if you're squeamish about squid tentacles, just get the bodies instead, since the little legs appear to come alive as they hit the heat of the grill. If you're not easily grossed out, however, go for the tentacles over the bodies. They get nice and crisp on the outside and stay very tender on the inside.

Tomatoes Provencale:

I used a great recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook to make these. Super easy and very impressive. When my hubby came home he exclaimed "ooooh!" when he saw them on the table. That's always a good sign! Plus, they're reasonably healthy. Here's my modified version, based on what I had on hand:

6 tomatoes on the vine, cored, seeds removed, and sliced in half

1 mini-baguette, blitzed in the food processor until fine

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped

2 minced green onions, dark green parts removed
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp kosher salt

pepper to taste

drizzle of olive oil

grated Gruyere cheese to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Place tomato halves in a heavy baking pan and fill with breadcrumb mixture (breadcrumbs, thyme, green onions, garlic, salt, pepper). Bake for about 15 minutes.

Remove tomatoes from the oven, drizzle with olive oil and top with Gruyere cheese.

Return to oven for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy on top.

Serve room temperature.