Squid in Spicy Sausage Tomato Sauce

It was hard trying to find the most suitable name for this recipe. While the main ingredients include squid, spicy sausage, and tomatoes, I wasn't sure if it should be called a stew, braise, or even sauté? 

In the end, since there're some yummy juice on the bottom, might as well put the cooking method behind, I simply went ahead and called it "squid in spicy sausage and tomato sauce."

Squid in spicy sausage and tomato sauce - 

Ingredients?

• 200 grams squid 
• 6 links spicy sausage
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 loosely packed cup chopped basil
• 1/2 loosely packed cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Some olive oil
• 1 to 2 lemon wedges

How?

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Slice the tomatoes into chunks. Slice the squid and sausages to bite size pieces. Slice lemon into wedges. Finely chop the basil and flat leaf parsley, perhaps save a few whole parsley leaves for garnish in the end. 

Drizzle enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and turn to medium high heat. Once the pan warms up, transfer the squid over and sear till slightly charred. Scoop out for later use.

Still using the same pan, drizzle more oil if needed, just make sure there's enough oil to coat the bottom again. Add in chopped garlic along with tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Give it a quick stir and cook for few minutes.

Add in sausage, chopped basil, chopped parsley, and red chili flakes. Give it a mix. Continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the squid back to the pan and toss to mix.

Plate and squeeze some lemon juice over. Also serve with extra lemon wedges on the side. Garnish the dish with some parsley leaves that we saved earlier.

This dish makes a great party food, and can go really well with wine too (don't drink and drive). You can toast some baguette slices and serve alongside the dish. Simply brush the baguette with olive oil and rub with garlic, toast till colored but not overly hardened. The tangy and spicy sauce on the bottom makes a good match with baguette slices.  

Other squid recipes:

• Grilled squid with cilantro parsley pesto sauce  
• Thai seafood salad

Tarta de Queso/Basque-Style Cheesecake

This recipe makes one 9-inch diameter cheesecake, using a round cake pan. Honestly, at first I thought it might be too big for just two of us. After all, in my mind I was thinking about having one big slice of cheesecake everyday can be too much and I should get tired of it soon. Wrong, so wrong. Ended up I was literally eating it with morning cup of tea, again in the afternoon, and usually few more bites after dinner. The cake was gone in no time.

Tarta de queso/Basque-style cheesecake - 

Ingredients (for one 9-inch diameter cake)?

• 680 grams cream cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

How?

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit/260 degrees Celsius. Remove the cream cheese from the fridge in order to soften before use.

Use a 9-inch diameter round cake pan if available, otherwise plus or minus one inch should be fine, but the baking time can differ and need some adjustment accordingly.

Use two sheets of parchment paper. Crumble the paper first then unfold. Line the parchment paper in opposite direction to fully cover the inner side of the pan.

Take a big mixing bowl, I simply use the stand mixer bowl. Add in softened cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extra, granulated sugar, and salt. Also break in the eggs. Beat till smooth, at least 5 minutes.

Pour the batter to the cake pan.

Into preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Mine took about 27 minutes. During the baking time, remember to check on the cake once a while, you might need to move around the cake pan once a while. The goal is to get evenly browned color on top.

So the top part should look brown, or even slightly burnt. The edge is about to set firm, but the center still slightly wiggly.

Once ready, take out the cake pan and set aside till cool down a little.

When the cake pan is cool enough to handle by hand, carefully take out the entire cake by grabbing the parchment paper on the side, and set the cake with parchment paper on rack to firm up a bit more.

However, if the cake seems about to fall down or break apart when you try to remove it from the cake pan, might as well let it cool down completely inside the cake pan. Only remove the pan when the cake firms up and able to hold its shape.

Slice and serve.

For a firmer bite, simply bake the cake a bit longer to reach heartier center. Do remember to keep an eye on the heat and avoid severe burn marks the top.

Other dessert recipes:

• Lemon crumb muffins (recipe makes about 10)
• Two-color madeleines 雙色瑪德蓮
• Super addicting M&M's chocolate chip cookies