Rocktopus!

It’s been on the list for ages, and my betentacled destiny beckons at last. It’s time to cook my first Spanish octopus.

It would be a stretch to call my first octo-stint wholly “successful” – grilling the partitioned beast over fiery coals on the Puerto Peñasco beach was a cheerful affair, but resulted in what would inevitably be remembered as rubber. Since then, I’ve done my reading; proper octopus (known by some as proptopus) (okay, this stops now) must be exposed to heat for either an extremely short amount of time, yielding a pleasantly springy final specimen, or stewed for an extended period, resulting in supremely tender cephalo-goodness.

I hunted down my frozen eight-legged friend at El Corte Inglés; I could swear they normally have them at Mercadona as well, but perhaps there was a run on them this weekend – I can’t be the only one who craves it. It took a warm water bath until totally defrosted, which took perhaps 10 minutes.

One of the neatest things about octopus is the amount of liquid they hold within their bodies; upon braising, this releases into the pot, conveniently cooking the flesh in its very own juices. It simmers this way for at least an hour, filling the air with aromas of tentacled tempation.

After a slew of stewing and an equally lengthy period of cooling rest, the octopus is ready for the knife. There’s nothing rubber-esque about it whatsoever at this point, and it smells divine. The head gets cut up completely as well; the only inedible bit is the small hard circle where the mouth bone has been removed – amazing.

My octopus was treated to a pairing with garlic, spinach, garbanzos, and a pair of thai bird chiles. The broth is purely what was released during braising, which ends up being quite strong, seafood-y and salty. The subtle heat imparted by the chiles rounds out this dish, prolonging the magic of the octo’s complex and dominating flavor.

It’s also ridiculously good for you; octopi are almost purely protein, plus a great source of iron and omega-3 fatty acids. Add spinach, and you have a seriously nutritious soup.

Octopus and Garbanzo Soup with Spinach, Garlic, and Chiles
Adapted from epicurious

takes: 2 1/2 hours, mostly unattended
makes: at least 4 hearty servings

1 cup cooked garbanzos
extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
Zest of 1 lemon
1 small octopus, defrosted and rinsed
1/2 package frozen spinach, defrosted
1-2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 dried thai bird chilies

1. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a pot (preferably heavy-bottomed, but you know, make do with what you got). Stir in 3 of the garlic cloves, the lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to soften.

2. Add the octopus, stir to coat it with the oil, and then weight it down with a plate or lid to ensure it does not begin to float once it starts releasing its water. Cover the pot and adjust the heat to a gentle simmer. The octopus will start slowly releasing its water, creating its own braising liquid.

3. Cook for about 30 minutes and check to see how much braising liquid is in the pot. If it is about 1 cup or less (unlikely if you are using an uncooked whole octopus), add 1/2 cup of water. Check the tenderness and continue to cook for 30 to 50 minutes longer, or until almost completely tender. The octopus will dramatically decrease in volume.

4. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the octopus to cool in the braising liquid for 1 hour.

5. Once cooled, transfer the octopus to a large cutting board and strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer. Give the pot used to cook the octopus a quick wash and return it to the stove.

6. Starting at the thickest point of the tentacle, slice into 1/4-inch-thick-pieces, increasing the thickness of the pieces as the tentacle becomes narrower. Halve the head, then cut it into 1/4-inch strips. Set aside.

7. To prepare the soup, heat a few tablespoons olive oil in the cleaned pot over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 garlic cloves, the celery, and the chiles. Stir in the beans and the octopus, plus however much reserved braising liquid you desire. Heat until hot and then taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed (probably not). Stir in the spinach and simmer for a few minutes more.

8. Serve immediately. Holy moley.

Feta Salsa

This was my favorite by far of the dips from Mafia Night. Sam saved the day here, bringing me feta and “estilo griego” olives along with her mad sleuthing skills.

I would love to try this with kalamata olives, but there were none to be found. Gonna hit up my olivemonger sometime soon and see if he has anything innovative in his brine.

Also: I kind of love dill. Is that weird?

Feta Salsa
Slightly adapted from smitten kitchen.

1/2 pound feta
2/3 cup sundried tomatoes, reconstituted
1/2 cup pitted dark olives – kalamata if you can get ’em
1/4 c fresh dill
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
a healthy splash of olive oil
pepper

1. Crumble the feta into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes, olives, dill, and parsley. Gently mix the ingredients together and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste with pepper.

White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Warning: this is one of those food-processor required dips that equates to a bit of serious knifework for those of us staffing tragically underequipped kitchens.

But holy yum, Batman. Next time I would squeeze even more Sriracha in this, as it’s what made the leap for me from “eh” to “I seem to be licking my fingers.”

White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Barely adapted from smitten kitchen.

1 jar alubias
1 cup roasted red peppers
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
a healthy squirt of Sriracha
Juice from half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Puree everything in a food processor until smooth -OR- get to mincing.

sugar-and-spice candied nuts

Don’t you girls dare learn how to make this yourselves and discover how easy it is, because I am bringing it to every party ever in the future. Will try next time with a hit of cayenne along with the hot paprika, possibly a shake of cumin would be a nice earthy touch as well.

I made this with walnuts and almonds, since they’re my two favorites. Pecans would be incredible.

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts
Adapted from smitten kitchen.

1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
a couple good shakes hot smoked paprika + a dash of cayenne if you like
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound nuts
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F/150 C. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside.

2. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated.

3. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper (NOT aluminum foil. that was stupid. they stick.). Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

Chicken Stew with Tomatoes, Spinach, and White Beans

[photo and commentary pending dinnertime later tonight – I’ve made this before, though, and can vouch for its integral goodness]

Chicken Stew with Tomatoes, Spinach, and White Beans
Adapted from Epicurious.

4 bacon slices, diced
3-6 chicken thighs – I’ve used whatever chicken I had on hand, actually. Breasts are fine (yeah baby yeah)
all purpose flour, for dredging chicken
1 large onion, diced
5+ garlic cloves, minced
1 can tomates troceados
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, depending how soupy you’d like the final product
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
a shake or two of red pepper flakes
half package frozen spinach, defrosted (you may feel free to substitute chard in here as desired)
1 tall jar alubias
big ole squeeze of lemon juice
S&P to taste

1. Cook diced bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towel.

2. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Add to drippings in pot and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate.

2.5. Here, because my pot is shittastic, I always have to clean it. If you have an actual heavy-bottomed pot, please keep the delicious browned goodness you’ve generated. If it’s blackened and burned, get rid of it. Someday, I will have a real kitchen…

3. Add diced onion and minced garlic to pot; sauté til soft-ish. Add bacon, tomatoes, chicken broth, red wine, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, reserved bacon, and S&P (easy on the salt – you’ll taste it soon). Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits on bottom. Toss in spinach.

4. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

5. Add alubias and a big ole squeeze of lemon juice (to taste, of course); simmer 10 minutes longer. Taste, then add S&P as needed.

Quinua Tabbouleh: Quin-whaaaa?

Ladies and ladies, the quinua ship has landed.

Was thinking stir-fry as my veggie sense has been tingling all weekend, but then the magic of parsley and lemon juice won me over. Traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgur, but who wants that when you have Peru’s finest goosefoot seeds lying around?

Quinua, dry, looks like this (p.s. now you all know the secret of how I “measure” cups n’ such). In its natural state, it generates a coating of bitter-tasting saponins, which ought to be removed by commerical processing, but it’s recommended that you rinse the buggers for a minute or so in a mesh strainer. I acquired one today at my favorite Asian mart for just this purpose.

Voila! Quinua, cooked. Just like most rice grains, you’ll want to boil twice the amount of water as quinua, then let it steam for 10-15 minutes or so. It will be exceedingly obvious when it’s done, since the germ inside the shell emerges and makes the whole thing translucent and kind of golden. It will also make your kitchen smell nutty, which continually had me thinking I was burning the beasties. Not so.

While the quinua was steaming, I threw together chopped cherry tomatoes, a carrots, a cucumber, a red bell pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, S&P, and a whole lotta parsley. I also roasted a chicken thigh in the oven, diced it, and threw it in for extra protein. 2/3 cup or so of the completed quinua was then distributed throughout.

The recipe suggests that tabbouleh improves as it sits, but this will require further investigation – no WAY was any of this leftover. Tabbouleh is often served room temp or even cold in restaurants, but this warm lemony version of the crunchy, colorful Lebanese salad was exactly what the doctor ordered for a nutrient-starved February afternoon.

Unquestionably, this is something I will be bringing to potlucks in the near future.

 

Quinua Tabbouleh
Serves 1
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/3 cups water
2/3 cup quinua
4-6 cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cucumber, grated
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, grated
3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cooked chicken thigh, diced (or breast, or whatever)
olive oil to taste
a big ole squeeze of lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinua and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine everything else. Stir in cooled quinua. Stick in fridge if you’d like it cold and have more patience than me.

NOTE: although most English sources spell this magic seed “Q-U-I-N-O-A,” I’ve been informed by none other than our very own Aldo (!!!!) that true blue Peruanos go “Q-U-I-N-U-A,” much like it, uh, says on the package I bought. Noted and corrected.

Curried Stir-Fried Potatoes

We’re surf-&-turfing it for Father’s Day dinner, and mom suggested mashed potatoes as a side. Nah. How can you settle for an overwrought, cliché mound of starchy glop when I haven’t even made a dent in How To Cook Everything yet?

I had some doubts about this dish when I started to put everything together – it described itself as “crunchy,” but there wasn’t nearly enough oil to crisp the potatoes. Refreshingly, it’s the potato’s natural firmness that shines through here. The very light amount of oil plus the steam from the potatoes themselves give them a perfect textural balance. Plus, the garam masala, cumin seeds, and cilantro give every bite infinitely more pep than their smushed counterpart.

“Better than french fries.” – me

Curried Stir-Fried Potatoes
from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything.

makes: 6 servings.
time: 15 min prep, 10 min cook time.

3 T neutral oil
1 T cumin seeds
1/2 small red onion, diced
1.5 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and shredded – I bet you could try it with a different variety too. Let me know how it goes!
1 T garam masala – using curry powder here is another possibility.
Salt and pepper
Pinch (or more) cayenne
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds (I took them off the heat here; don’t burn them!).

2. Add the onion, potatoes, garam masala, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring and tossing, until the onion has caramelized and the potatoes are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. The potatoes need not – in fact, should not – be fully tender.

3. Add the cilantro to the pan, toss once or twice, and serve immediately.

Simplest Dhal

In the excitement of the tandoori chicken emerging from the oven, I didn’t manage to get a spectacular shot of the dhal, but in my opinion it totally stole the Indian Nite show. Sure, we had managed to concoct a pretty durn good tandoori chicken sans tandoor, but the surprisingly complex flavor of the dhal was the result of seriously inexpensive ingredients and almost completely hands-off preparation. Lentils are also extraordinarily good for you – fiber, folate, iron, manganese, AND Molly B. Denum? Sign me up. Lentils and I will prevent diverticulosis – together.

(warning: link is slightly “ew”)

Mark Bittman suggests adding rhubarb, daikon radish, celery root, and/or fresh tomatoes to this base. It definitely doesn’t require any additions, but experimentation in the kitchen is always a good time. You might also play with the texture – I prefer my dhal quite liquidized, but a shorter cooking time with less liquid is equally legitimate if you want to keep the lentils whole.

If you don’t have all the spices, never fear. I’ve added nutmeg to great effect before: put in whatever you like.

Simplest Dhal
from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything.

makes: 4-6 servings
time: 5 min for precooked lentils, 30 min for dried, largely unattended

1 c cooked lentils – you can use dried, but honestly, I haven’t noticed a difference in flavor.
2 T minced fresh ginger
1 T minced garlic
4 cardamom pods
1 T mustard seeds
2 cloves
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 dried red pepper, however mild to hot as you like it
salt
a bit of veggie oil
1 T cold butter (optional, gives a velvety touch)
chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Combine all ingredients except the lentils, salt, butter, and cilantro in a saucepan; saute a few minutes. Add lentils (add water to cover by about 1 inch if they’re dried), and bring to a gently bubbling simmer.Cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until it smells amazing, 5 minutes or so (20-25 minutes for dried).

2. Add salt to taste and stir in the butter if you’re using it. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

I definitely don’t recommend eating the cloves, but the cardamom pods are… intriguing.

Aloo Gobi

For your consideration: aloo gobi is the perfect dish. Vegan. Gluten-free. Protein, starch, veggies. Completely customizable spice level. Complex yet unchallenging flavor. Largely hands-off preparation. Cheap ingredients. Makes cauliflower not taste like cauliflower.

You load this puppy up with heaps of magic spices, then low heat on the stove for an hour or so does all the tricky absorption work for you. This version is particularly souped up with the addition of coconut milk, the natural sweetness of which balances the tomato’s acidity and rounds out the cayenne’s heat.

The melding of tastes makes the subtle bases of cauliflower and potato simply shine; the discerning tongue detects cumin, cinnamon, garam masala, and a whole host of other goodies. The remaining sauce is something sublime and is best paired with freshly grilled naan if you know what’s good for you.

Aloo Gobi
rewritten and slightly adapted from Alicia’s Aloo Gobi.

makes: an unbelievable amount. Enough for at least 10 people as a main course. Halve it, or revel in the leftovers.
time: 15 minutes prep, 1+ hour cooking

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk (you can use normal if you like to throw caloric caution to the wind)
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper – OR MORE, for sure. With 1/2 T, it’s a barely detectable spiciness. Heat lovers should go hog wild.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed (the larger your cubes, the longer they will take to cook!)
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes, then stir in garlic and cumin seeds and cook until strongly fragrant, about 2 minutes.

2. Stir in tomatoes, coconut and the spices: coriander, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and garam masala. Stir until mixture begins to boil, then put in the potatoes, cauliflower, and garbanzo beans. Blend well. Reduce heat to low and cover.

3. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, approximately one hour – this will depend entirely on the size of the potato chunks. Serve and enjoy with naan.

Garbanzo, Cilantro, and Parmesan Salad

The half-can of garbanzos in the fridge gave me the perfect excuse to give Stone Soup’s “alltime favourite meal-in-a-minute salad” a whirl.

Did you know salad has its root in the Latin sal, meaning, of course, salt? Actually, it seems kind of obvious once you look at the word. It’s rather tricky to pin down what a salad is, exactly – it ranges from the tragic iceberg-and-ranch variety to luscious larb to those crazy jello and fruit sculptures.

salad (n): an amalgamation of whatever I find in the fridge that I want to feel good about eating.

Garbanzos are photogenic little beasts, aren’t they? I normally fall squarely in the “maximalist” camp of cooking, but this two-minute throw together dish was insidiously enjoyable. I’m still thinking about it, actually: the way the lemon juice coaxed extra flavor out of the cool beans, the subtle saltiness of the parmesan blending with fruity tones in the olive oil. Throwing in a handful of cilantro added a touch of freshness in appearance and flavor.

It’s almost a non-recipe – toss in whatever looks good to you in the amount that seems right – but seeing it so highly lauded was absolutely what convinced me to put it together. You are advised to do the same. You’ll like it too – it is tastier than it has any right to be.

Garbanzo, Parmesan, and Cilantro Salad
adapted from Stone Soup (one of my new favorite food blogs as I anticipate cooking for one in Madrid!)

makes: one can of garbanzos would make enough for two hearty salads. I think my light lunch was a leftover two-fifths of a can or so.
time: two minutes if you dawdle.

some cold garbanzos
squeeze of lemon juice
splash of olive oil
sprinkle of grated cheese – I used parmesan
scant handful of cilantro, minced
salt & pepper

1. Combine ingredients. Proceed to chase every last lil’ bean around your dish with a spoon until they magically disappear.