I first encountered the combination of squid and white beans in the famous tapas bar Bar Pintxo in the Boqueria market of Barcelona. There, tiny white runner beans are the bed for squid seared on a screaming hot flattop; a sauce of olive oil and the squid's ink gives the whole plate a round, salty tang. In a country of incredible food, it remains one of the best things I've eaten. More

As great as white bean salads are, they need a partner to make a full dinner. I've seen a few variations over the years, but I was particularly interested in this recipe from Leslie Glover Pendleton's Simply Shellfish, because it pairs the beans with squid. More

Sausage and cephalopods are two ingredients that, to me, always work together. And if you use your imagination it's not a far leap to think of a cleaned squid body as the ocean's sausage casing. Squid are creatures that need to be cooked hot and quick, or low and slow to get the best results, so once you add the squid to the tomato sauce, make sure to give it the time it needs. More

Since the start of this year's World Cup, Paul the octopus has accurately predicted the outcome of every match played by the German soccer team. He's six for six, and has become a soothsayer cephalopod phenomenon (ah, way too many syllables!) on Facebook, Twitter, and all over the internet this week. Paul says Spain will win in Sunday's final, and Germany (his home is the SeaLife Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany) will take third over Uruguay on Saturday. However, Paul better watch out—some hungry Germans might have a big vat of boiling water waiting for him. More

In Barry Foy's previous posting ("'Brutta ma Buona' in Taiwan, Part 1: Fan Tuan") he conjured up a category of Taiwanese specialties that might (by Western standards, at least) fit the Italian description brutta ma buona—"ugly but good." Today he checks out a few more: xiaren rou yuan, niu za tang (pictured), and youyu geng. More

Dim sum in these parts has basically jumped the shark. While we’re no Vancouver or San Francisco, we have a couple of really solid options, Phoenix and Shui Wah. Problem is like every brunch spot in the city, they’re so popular, you usually spend more time getting jostled by other fanny pack clad patrons waiting for a seat in the lobby than you do eating. As a result, my dim sum consumption is pretty much in line with my green leafy vegetable consumption, which is to say, pretty much zero. Last Sunday, though, I pulled myself out of bed, won the culinary lotto, and found myself with only a five-minute wait at Shui Wah. Shui Wah is home to... More

Exciting news: "New Zealand fishermen have caught what is expected to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid. Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the squid, weighing an estimated 450kg (990lb),took two hours to land in Antarctic waters. Local news said the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was about 10m (33ft) long, and was the first adult colossal squid landed intact. One expert said calamari rings made from it would be like tractor tyres." Wikipedia's Colossal Squid is fantastic, if you'd like to read more about the species. If you'd like to make dinner in honor of New Zealand's catch, Leite's Culinaria has Mario Batali's recipe for Stuffed Calamari on the Grill from his book Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages.... More