Octopus with Ladolemono
Although I’m neither Italian nor Italian-American, this yr I’ve decided to undertake the Italian culture of fish for Christmas Eve/Day dinner. The Feast of the Seven Fishes (Festa dei sette pesci) as a rule contains at the least seven fish/seafood dishes — the quantity of dishes varies by family.
Per Wikipedia: There are many hypotheses for what the quantity “7” represents. Seven is probably probably the foremost repeated quantity within the Bible and seems over 700 times. One familiar concept is the quantity represents completion, as proven in Genesis 2:2: “By the seventh day God accomplished the work he had been doing; so at the seventh day he rested from all his work.” During the feast of the seven fishes, participants celebrate the completion of God’s promise of the Messiah by way of child Jesus. Other theories include: that the quantity represents the seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church; or it represents the Seven hills of Rome that encompass the city. It would possibly represent perfection (the common Biblical quantity for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the mixture of those numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ). The feast’s elements would possibly contain some mixture of anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, and clams.
Let’s just name it The Feast of the Fishes/Shellfish/Cephalopods.
This mini-feast celebrates Octopus.
One of my favourite foods, arms down, needs to be octopus. Maybe it’s simply due to the fact I don’t get to consume it very as a rule (for one, it’s not all the time simple to find). So while I do come throughout octopus, it’s the closing treat. When well prepared, octopus is comfortable with just the proper quantity of chew. And nope, it’s not rubbery (provided which you simply tenderize it first).The very first time I ready octopus (over ten years ago, while I just started my adventures within the kitchen), didn’t notice you had to tenderize octopus. I eliminated the tentacles and threw them directly onto the grill. Those tentacles had been so rubbery, my jaw was sore for a quantity of days afterward. Lesson learned.So, how does one tenderize an octopus? Depending on whom you ask/what you read, tenderizing octopus might be achieved by way of diverse methods: 1) hanging the octopus on a clothesline within the sun, 2) beating it with a stone, 3) placing it by way of the spin cycle on your washing machine, 4) dipping it in boiling water, three times, then cooking it in a copper pot, 5) cooking it with corks, and 6) simmering it with low warmth for approximately for 40 to 60 minutes.
I’ve opted for #6. Place the complete octopus in a Dutch oven or big pot with just a bit little bit of olive oil and allow it simmer over low warmth till the octopus turns pink and is comfortable to the bite. The octopus will exude much of water/liquid and cut back fairly a bit. Once tender, grill it up.
Look for Atlantic octopus (from Spain or Portugal). Indonesian octopus, which I additional extensively encounter, is a wholly other species with a wholly other taste. Atlantic octopus has a numerous salinity to it. It’s briny and clean, and tastes just like the ocean. Octopus has been over-fished for a while, although is slowly making a comeback (for additional news seek the advice of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website).
I’ve had renditions of octopus wherein the octopus was “chef-ified” (read: overly manipulated) to the level that I not known my cherished cephalopod.
The magnificence of octopus is that it tastes finest while ready and served with little, if any, manipulation. When in doubt, move the place the Greeks go. Or higher yet, stroll into pretty much any fish taverna in Greece and you’ll discover octopus (whole fish too) ready at it’s best. Hung on a clothesline for a day to take away most of its water content, then merely grilled and dressed with nothing additional than just a bit olive oil and lemon (ladolemono).
The cooking process: first simmer in a pot for about 45 minutes till very tender, then grill…
Ladolemono = additional virgin olive oil + lemon juice + garlic
And of course, you’ll desire to an enormous plate of horta (i.e., wild greens) to accompany your octopus …
Octopus with Ladolemono
1 (4-pound) octopus
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly flooring black pepper
Add NULL tablespoons of olive oil to a Dutch oven. Add the octopus and simmer over low warmth for about 40 minutes, till the octopus turns vibrant pink and is comfortable to the bite. Remove from the pot. When cool sufficient to handle, slice off the tentacles (discard the head).
Prepare a charcoal grill (wood fire or gasoline grill). Lightly brush the octopus tentacles with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill (just a quantity of minutes per side) till well browned and crispy at the outside, but nonetheless moist at the inside.
Serve with a drizzle of ladolemono.
Ladolemono
1/2 cup additional virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
pinch of sea salt
Place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a blender jar. Blend till evenly emulsified. Alternatively, whisk by hand.
Per Wikipedia: There are many hypotheses for what the quantity “7” represents. Seven is probably probably the foremost repeated quantity within the Bible and seems over 700 times. One familiar concept is the quantity represents completion, as proven in Genesis 2:2: “By the seventh day God accomplished the work he had been doing; so at the seventh day he rested from all his work.” During the feast of the seven fishes, participants celebrate the completion of God’s promise of the Messiah by way of child Jesus. Other theories include: that the quantity represents the seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church; or it represents the Seven hills of Rome that encompass the city. It would possibly represent perfection (the common Biblical quantity for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the mixture of those numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ). The feast’s elements would possibly contain some mixture of anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, and clams.
Let’s just name it The Feast of the Fishes/Shellfish/Cephalopods.
This mini-feast celebrates Octopus.
One of my favourite foods, arms down, needs to be octopus. Maybe it’s simply due to the fact I don’t get to consume it very as a rule (for one, it’s not all the time simple to find). So while I do come throughout octopus, it’s the closing treat. When well prepared, octopus is comfortable with just the proper quantity of chew. And nope, it’s not rubbery (provided which you simply tenderize it first).The very first time I ready octopus (over ten years ago, while I just started my adventures within the kitchen), didn’t notice you had to tenderize octopus. I eliminated the tentacles and threw them directly onto the grill. Those tentacles had been so rubbery, my jaw was sore for a quantity of days afterward. Lesson learned.So, how does one tenderize an octopus? Depending on whom you ask/what you read, tenderizing octopus might be achieved by way of diverse methods: 1) hanging the octopus on a clothesline within the sun, 2) beating it with a stone, 3) placing it by way of the spin cycle on your washing machine, 4) dipping it in boiling water, three times, then cooking it in a copper pot, 5) cooking it with corks, and 6) simmering it with low warmth for approximately for 40 to 60 minutes.
I’ve opted for #6. Place the complete octopus in a Dutch oven or big pot with just a bit little bit of olive oil and allow it simmer over low warmth till the octopus turns pink and is comfortable to the bite. The octopus will exude much of water/liquid and cut back fairly a bit. Once tender, grill it up.
Look for Atlantic octopus (from Spain or Portugal). Indonesian octopus, which I additional extensively encounter, is a wholly other species with a wholly other taste. Atlantic octopus has a numerous salinity to it. It’s briny and clean, and tastes just like the ocean. Octopus has been over-fished for a while, although is slowly making a comeback (for additional news seek the advice of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website).
I’ve had renditions of octopus wherein the octopus was “chef-ified” (read: overly manipulated) to the level that I not known my cherished cephalopod.
The magnificence of octopus is that it tastes finest while ready and served with little, if any, manipulation. When in doubt, move the place the Greeks go. Or higher yet, stroll into pretty much any fish taverna in Greece and you’ll discover octopus (whole fish too) ready at it’s best. Hung on a clothesline for a day to take away most of its water content, then merely grilled and dressed with nothing additional than just a bit olive oil and lemon (ladolemono).
The cooking process: first simmer in a pot for about 45 minutes till very tender, then grill…
Ladolemono = additional virgin olive oil + lemon juice + garlic
And of course, you’ll desire to an enormous plate of horta (i.e., wild greens) to accompany your octopus …
Octopus with Ladolemono
1 (4-pound) octopus
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly flooring black pepper
Add NULL tablespoons of olive oil to a Dutch oven. Add the octopus and simmer over low warmth for about 40 minutes, till the octopus turns vibrant pink and is comfortable to the bite. Remove from the pot. When cool sufficient to handle, slice off the tentacles (discard the head).
Prepare a charcoal grill (wood fire or gasoline grill). Lightly brush the octopus tentacles with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill (just a quantity of minutes per side) till well browned and crispy at the outside, but nonetheless moist at the inside.
Serve with a drizzle of ladolemono.
Ladolemono
1/2 cup additional virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
pinch of sea salt
Place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a blender jar. Blend till evenly emulsified. Alternatively, whisk by hand.
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