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Directions
Ain't a bit of squid here! Instead we fall back on the squid's
digitally impaired cousin, the octopus... The author of the original
article, Meryl Constance, cautions buyers to make sure that the
octopi one buys are pre-tenderized. She notes that traditional
Australian methods for tenderizing octopi include using rocks,
bricks, cement mixers and even washing machines. (No kiddin'!)
Raw Materials first encountered this salad in Argentina, where it
could be bought from top-flight delicatessen counters for an instant
picnic. The pink of the octopus pieces with the green of the herbs
makes this a very pretty salad.
Prepare a 2 to 3 kg octopus and precook it. [See note below. S.C.]
While it is cooking, whisk together in a glass bowl 300 mL good olive
oil, the juice of 1 or 2 lemons (taste and stop when the balance is
right), salt, pepper and generous amounts of finely chopped garlic,
shallots, chives and parsley. The dressing should be thick with the
herbs. When the octopus is tender, drain it, cut it up into generous
chunks and, while it is still warm, fold it into the dressing. Serve
the salad at room temperature, with plenty of crusty bread.
NOTE: Chances are if you buy your cephalopod in a supermar-ket in
the US it will already be cooked. If not, follow these steps from
earlier in the article...
"Cut through the head/body above and below the eyes. Discard this
section. Slit the back of the head and turn it inside out, discarding
all the contents (unless you want to keep the ink sac for a
particular recipe). Push the beak (in the center of the star of
tentacles) through and out...Skinning is quite unnecessary and very
fiddly. If you prefer to do so, it is much easier after cooking than
before.
A large octopus needs precooking for many dishes. Put it in a
saucepan and just cover with lightly salted water. Simmer gently
until the point of a knife slides easily into the meat++maybe one
hour, maybe longer.
The deep mauve stock which results need not be discarded when you
drain the octopus. It is very rich (in fact, it will often set to a
jelly in the fridge) and makes a wonderful soup..."
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
From Meryl Constance' column in the Sydney Morning Herald, "Raw
Materials". 3/2/93. Courtesy, Mark Herron.
Posted by Stephen Ceideburg
Servings: 6 servings
Octopus Salad Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Australian; Salad; Seafood
The History of Recipes
We are able to track the history of written recipes way back into distant history, certainly as far back as the Egyptians, and maybe even further. Interesting though that is, sadly, these ancient cook books were just very simple pictorial recipes for meal preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered, according to food historians is a collection of stone tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel exhilarated and blissful. As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a number of documents describing recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. Aspicius also informs us how the Roman cooks made use of a good variety of aromatic flavours, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks like thyme, rue and parsley. As we move on, there were a couple of interesting recipe books from the 1300s - a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these have no connection with the curry that is popular today, but rather recipes for the types of meals cooked for the rich and wealthy people of that time. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many foods, spices and herbs from the holy land, including spices such as coriander, parsley, and basil. These new foods and tastes prompted an outbreak in publications on food, many of which still exist in private collections. The revolution that is television brings us cooking programs and the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, permitting us all to search through thousands of recipes such as those found on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Octopus Salad recipe.
