SOME THINGS I MADE FOR EASTER DINNER

I WAS GOING TO MAKE a huge meal, but didn't. It was a good thing, too!

I made Octopus and I also made a fabulous tart, or rather Torta di Ricotta which I found in Michael White's amazing and gorgeous Italian cookbook, Classico e Moderno. It is truly one of the only times that I really followed the recipe (except one or two ingredients) where it looked almost exactly like the picture in his book. 

But let's start with the octopus, shall we?

GRILLED OCTOPUS WITH FINGERLING POTATOES AND LEMON

I know that some people are squeamish, so look away if you must. What one does is wash the octopus (a nice 2-3 pound octopus would be ideal - the one pictured above was about 1-1/4 pounds), remove the eyes and roast it in red wine, some slices of lemon and some pepper corns in a 225º oven for 4 hours. Make sure the pan is covered during roasting. Check periodically if you need to add more wine or water. This draws all of the liquid out of the octopus as well as giving it a rich flavor. When it's done, remove the center (head) and any dark slimy skin from the tentacles. At this point you can reserve until you're ready to grill or broil or do it immediately. 

Octopus - pre-roasting

Cut up about 6 fingerling potatoes in chunks and dress with a little salt and pepper and olive oil and roast in a 350º oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and reserve while you are grilling the octopus. 

Dress the octopus with some olive oil mixed with the juice of one lemon and some oregano and place on the grill. You want a nice scorch but you don't want to burn it. Turn over and grill  the other side. 

Arrange the potatoes on a plate and place the octopus and all the juices on top of that and serve with lemon. It's out of this world. 

Serves 2

The recipe for Torta di Ricotta is a little long (first the crust, then the filling and then the syrup and fruits). I was exhausted. So, rather than exhaust you, I'm just going to display my handiwork! The combination of cheese and syrup with fresh fruit with mint was truly amazing. 

Torta di Ricotta with Port Glaze and Fresh Fruit

Serves 8-12

Buon appetito!