OCTOPUS SALAD

THIS IS REALLY A SUMMER DISH but I like eating it all year round, even when the mercury dips to gelid. For me it is an entirely satisfying dish and I do mean in every way: octopus may seem to some as a gummy affair but it can be sweet and succulent and full of flavorful texture. I prefer baby octopus but the large ones will do. They can be grilled, broiled, boiled, and, in Sicily especially, made in tomato sauce and served with spaghetti or a similarly long noodle. My grandmother made this dish often and it was utterly delicious.

INSALATA DI POLPO

First of all, you need to buy fresh baby octopus or frozen (preferably from the Mediterranean). One could only get  Sicilian octopus from Italian fish markets or at an Italian specialty store which carried the frozen vacuum-packed product. For a long time, here in New York, it was very difficult, if not impossible, to find octopus in Chinatown. But recently, I have found them more often than not and of very high quality indeed! They're also cheaper in Chinatown than anywhere else in New York. $3.99 lb. is a far cry from $7.99 lb. at Fairway and even higher in other stores. It's worth going the distance if you live uptown as I do. Besides, as I have said before in previously blogs, if you've got the cash to spare you can make a killing with $60.00 in Chinatown as you can nowhere else in the city.

INSALATA DI POLPO

1 lb. baby octopus

Juice of one lemon plus fruit

3 bay leaves

Salt for water

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel stalks with fronds

1 onion (red or white) chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 tsp. minced green chile (Jalapeño will do)

2 tsp. chopped ginger

1/8 tsp. salt

12 turns of a pepper mill

3 anchovy filets

Oil and vinegar to mix

Tiny pinch of sugar

1 tsp. fresh thyme

6 leaves fresh basil cut into chiffonade

1/2 chopped flat leaf parsley

3 oz. fresh tuna in oil (optional*)

Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut a lemon in two. Add the salt, the juice from the lemon and the lemon halves and the bay leaves to the water. Add the octopus and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to the simmer (you want a slow boil) and cover and cook for at least one hour. After an hour, you should have a deep red stock. Check the octopus for doneness by piercing with a paring knife. If it goes through easily, they are done. Remove the octopus from the water and place in a plastic container, let them come to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is preferable). Remove the solids from the broth, and pour the broth in a plastic container(s) and freeze. The broth makes a very rich and tasty addition to seafood stock of any kind. 

To make the salad, prepare all ingredients above. Place everything in a large metal bowl. Cut off the heads of the octopus and slice. Tear off the tentacles from the center without breaking them. Add that to the salad. Add the tuna if using. Mix well and check for seasoning. Place the salad in a plastic container. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve according to your taste*.

You can transform this into an Insalata di Riso.

INSALATA DI RISO

2 cups Carnaroli rice

4 cups chicken stock

Bring the rice and the stock to a boil. Lower heat to the lowest simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes.

To this add: 

1 cup frozen peas

Cover the pot again and continue to cook for another 8 minutes (20 minutes total cooking time for the rice). Turn the heat off and keep covered for another 5 minutes. 

This can be eaten just like it is with some parmesan cheese or when allowed to cool, can be added to the seafood salad and refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Buon appetito!

* You can be very creative here. One can make a seafood salad with myriad ingredients (shrimp, squid, etc.) and vegetables (artichoke hearts, olives, capers) but try not to be too creative. Less is always more in Italian cuisine.