Fernando,

That's so funny! Now I really want to listen to that commercial now.

¡Ja, ja, ja!

Maybe the voice belongs to some MMan alter ego called something like BrilliantMan or CalamarMan. :p

And the bare-chested effect is for when he does the telly commercials then?

'Bare-chest Bocadillo-man'?

Jo

Aren't bocadillos de calamares incredibly chewy. I love Spanish bread, and calamares, but I just thought this was the strangest combination when I saw what seemed like everybody eating them during the St Isidro festival last year. Just the thought of all that chewing made my jaws ache

My husband calls calamares "rubber bands."

But if you get good ones, they aren't too chewy/bouncy.

Tara

Lizzie,

Tara is totally correct. They're nothing but tender if they're done right!
El Brillante is really not my type of place in many aspects but their bocadillos are a great example of....Mmm deliciousness!

I had my first bocadillo de calamares last Christmas in a hole in a wall restaurant in an alley that leads up to Plaza Mayor. We were there to buy a tree and some decorations and there were people everywhere eating the bocadillos. Every time one passed me, they smelled SO GOOD and so when we finally got hungry, we joined the 30+ person line to one of places close by.

Incredible. My first impression was that I was going to be eating breaded and fried rubber bands on too-crunchy bread. But it wasn't like that all. It just melted in your mouth. There's a bar around the corner from here that makes a pretty good bocadillo de calamares too, but that first one at the Plaza Mayor was the best.

mmmmmmm...

-Russ

Stop guys!

It has been time since I tasted my last bocadillo de calamares... I guess I have to get someone soon or it will drive me nuts...

Pim: Imagine my face when I first listened the commercial! Very very funny and curious... I could do nothing but imagine MadridMan in that famous photo (without shirt) and saying how wonderful El Brillante was

Fernando

Whew! I agree with Fernando! This discussion is making me crazy after those calamares I had yesterday; not at all rubbery, lightly breaded, warm. Mmmmmm.. (insert Homer Simpson gurgling sound effect here) IF ONLY I had had those in a long barra of bread to make a sandwich.

Whenever I go to Madrid, that first bocadillo is on my mind... I SO look forward to it.. and when the moment comes when I lift that big, overflowing-with-calamares sandwich to my mouth... I smell that smell... and I eat it with such pleasure. It's almost impossible to eat one of those big things without one delicious ring falling to the floor and... oh.. it's SUCH a pity, so sad, such a waste. I look at that lonely fried squid ring lying there.. but likely to be joined by more by other patrons enjoying the same bocadillos.. Washing it down with a Mahou (or Aguila, as they only have on tap in El Brillante).

Sometimes I think I'd love to open a Spanish Tapas Food restaurant here in Columbus, featuring bocadillos de calamares, patatas bravas, and pulpo a la gallega and sell them for cheap along with the beer on tap. But you know, sadly, I know this kind of tapas bar would never succeed here in Columbus; where there are few tables, food and napkins and shrimp heads littering the floor, cooks and table staff shouting orders across the big room with hundreds of different, "EXOTIC" smells of seafood, pork-products, spicy sauces.

Aahh.. but I guess if I had these bocadillos de calamares right here I wouldn't appreciate them SO much as I do when I go to Spain.

¡Viva Calamares! Saludos, :p (salivating) MadridMan

From today's New York Times (I'm sure it's SO illegal to reprint here, but I know many don't like to sign in to read):

"Cooking with the Times: Calamari Classics"

Along with its cephalopod cousins, octopus and cuttlefish, squid has an undeservedly poor reputation. The reason is obvious: the slimy, many-tentacled creature isn't exactly the kind of animal you look forward to facing eye-to-eye. While popular in cuisines all over the world, the sea creature has yet to make significant inroads in classic American cookery.

But unless you are at the bottom of the ocean facing down an angry behemoth, the reputation is entirely undeserved. Squid — which also goes by its Italian name, calamari — is tasty, easy to prepare, readily available and (mostly) nutritious. Its distinct, slightly chewy texture and barely-sweet flavor makes it perfect for almost any technique of preparation, including frying, poaching, braising, stir-frying, baking and grilling. The Japanese also eat it raw.

Calamari (from the Latin word for "pen," presumably because squid contain a black ink they propel at their enemies) needs to be cooked either very quickly or for quite a while (usually around 45 minutes). Beyond that, the sky's the limit. We'll prepare three quick-cooked dishes: sautéed calamari with linguini, grilled calamari salad, and fried calamari served with a basil mayo dip; and one dish that uses the longer method: baked calamari stuffed with shrimp and bread crumbs. (One note about nutrition: squid is high in protein and low in fat, but it also has a high cholesterol content.)

Basics: Cleaning and Cooking

Squid can be bought fresh or frozen, whole or pre-cut, cleaned or not. Fresh is obviously preferable (you can hold squid in your refrigerator for up to a day), and cleaning is extremely easy. Pull apart the tube-like body and the head and tentacles. Remove the piece of cartilage in the body and, if you like, remove the skin (a thin, pale layer of pink or purple flesh on the tube) by rubbing the body with a towel. Rinse the body to remove any dirt or gelatinous remnants. To clean the head, cut just below the eyes and remove the small, hard "beak" and the ink sack. If you like, cut the longest of the tentacles (there will often be two longer ones that can get in the way when you cook).

Sautéed Calamari Linguini

A classic, simple as they come. We used Calamata olives, but any good black olive is fine. Of course, another kind of pasta can be substituted, but long and straight works best to contrast with the squid rings.

Recipe

1 pound squid, cleaned, with tubes cut into rings
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 pound linguini, cooked.

1. Season squid with salt and pepper. In a hot pan, sauté the squid in the oil for two to three minutes, stirring regularly.

2. When squid is cooked but still tender, add white wine and reduce until almost dry.

3. Add olives, parsley and tomato sauce, cook one minute. Toss with pasta until warmed through and garnish with parsley.

Yield: 4 servings.

Fried Calamari With Basil Mayo

Good old fried calamari can't be beat — and you'll be shocked at how much better your homemade variety will be than what you often get in restaurants, assuming you prepare correctly at fry at 360 degrees. We've included a basil mayo, but any dipping sauce is fine — or just serve them salted, with wedges of lemon.

Recipe

1 pound squid, cleaned and cut into rings
1 quart milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or cornmeal)

For mayo:
1 bunch basil, cleaned and picked
2 cups olive oil
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Soak squid pieces in milk for 1 hour.

2. Place basil and a pinch of salt into blender. Add olive oil and puree until smooth.

3. In a bowl, whisk egg yolk, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Very slowly add basil oil until thick, whisking constantly. When incorporated, add vinegar. Re-season with salt and pepper. (Or: combine yolks, mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar in a food processor and blend, slowing adding oil, until incorporated).

4. Bring deep fryer or a deep pan half-filled with frying oil to 360 degrees (use a frying thermometer). Drain the squid pieces and dredge in flour. Place squid into frying oil for three to four minutes or until crispy.

5. Remove from oil and place on a pan lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. Season with salt and pepper immediately. Serve with basil mayo or other dipping sauce.

Yield: 4 servings.

Grilled Calamari Salad

A true delight for spring and summer, the charred squid strips lend a smokiness that balances the sweet and sour vegetables. Needless to say, any light dressing can be substituted.

Recipe

For lemon vinaigrette:
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

For salad:
1 pound squid, cleaned and butter-flied
4 fingerling potatoes, boiled and cubed
1/2 pound string beans, blanched
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 roasted red pepper, sliced
1 cup baby artichoke hearts, cooked and sliced.

1. In a medium bowl, combine the shallots, lemon juice and mustard. Mix well. Slowly add the oil, whisking, until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. To butterfly the squid, simply cut down one half of the tubes and open them up. Season on both sides with salt and pepper, and lightly brush with oil.

3. Place the squid onto a very hot grill surface and do not move (if you try to turn it too early it will curl up). Press down a bit if necessary. Grill on each side for three minutes. 4. Remove from grill and slice thinly. Toss all ingredients with vinaigrette.

Yield: 4 servings.