Carmela Soprano's Octopus Salad

Back to the salads…

In March, 2010 I compared Ma’s and Carmela’s recipes for Octopus Salad.

Well, to be honest, I nattered on about the problems with making Octopus Salad.

Especially when one lives in the Canadian prairies.

I searched in the frozen food section.

I asked the butcher /  fish monger of our local stores.

I had to settle with something called Seafood Combination.

That’s about as close as I’m going to get to an octopus here in Winnipeg.

Well, there are worse problems.

The picture had octopus tentacles.

Everything in the bag was tiny, so I haven’t a clue if there were any tentacles.

I also nattered about the problems with serving Octopus Salad.

Octopus is a common food in Mediterranean cuisine. 

On the Tunisian island of Djerba, people catch them by taking advantage of the animals' habit of hiding in safe places. In the evening they put ceramic pots on the sea bed. The next morning they check them for octopuses. 

In the Greek islands octopuses are often caught by spear fishing close to the shore. 

No matter how you caught them, octopus needs to be cooked a good long time. 

If you’ve got a frozen octopus, thaw it first.

Some people just use the tentacles.  Suit yourself.

With the Seafood Combination you can skip the cleaning, washing and cutting. 

Seafood Combination only needs to cook for about 30 minutes.

You can serve the cooked octopus warm after it’s been mixed with the dressing.

Or you can chill it and serve it on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Again, suit yourself.

Without further ado or nattering, here’s Carmela’s recipe for Octopus Salad from Entertaining with the Sopranos:

                        Octopus Salad

Serves 6

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add

3 1/2 pounds octopus, cleaned

2 garlic cloves, slightly crushed

1 bay leaf

Partially cover the pot and cook 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

The octopus should be tender when pierced with a fork.

Drain the octopus and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl whisk together

1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Pinch of crushed red pepper

salt to taste

Add 

the octopus pieces 

Stir well.

Add

1/4 Cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Serve immediately, or chill and serve on a bed of lettuce.

Anna Sultana's Stewed Octopus, Maltese Style

Last August I posted Ma's recipe for Stuffat tal-Qarnit.

Qarnit is Maltese for octopus. 

For many the stew recipe was something fun to read.

Octopus just isn't common here on the bald prairies.

Or in most other places, I would imagine.

Octopus is the stuff of legend.

And sometimes the stuff of science fiction.

I hope you've seen It Came from Beneath the Sea.

It's a dandy 1955 Sci-Fi film about a giant octopus that attacked San Francisco. 

If you must, go to the frozen food section for a bag called Seafood Combination.

In a pinch, it's not bad.

There are tiny octopus tentacles in it.

Not quite the same, but beggars can't be choosers. 

But maybe not being able to get fresh octopus is not a bad thing.

Octopus needs to be cooked a good long time. 

With the Seafood Combination you can skip the cleaning, washing, cutting and cooking. 

Seafood Combination only needs to cook for about 30 minutes.

So add it after the sauce (with the olives and capers) has simmered for 30 minutes.

                        Stewed Octopus

Clean and wash

octopus, about 2 pounds

Cut in small portions.

Simmer in salted water until tender.

While the octopus is cooking, start the stew.

In a dutch oven heat

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Add

2 large onions, sliced

Fry until golden.

Add

8 ounces tomato paste

1/2 Cup water

Stir into the onions.

Add

1 pound tomatoes, quartered

Simmer until the tomatoes are mushy.

Add

the prepared octopus

6 olives, chopped

1 Tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon pepper

Simmer for 1 hour.

Serve the sauce with spaghetti or rice.

And while watching It Came from Beneath the Sea.

Anna Sultana's Stuffat tal-Qarnit - Octopus Stew, Maltese Style l Octopus Information

Okay, some fish can be easily replaced.

Bluefish can replace lampuki in Ma's recipes.

Haddock is another good substitute.

But, then there is the octopus situation.

Ma sometimes made Stuffat tal-Qarnit.
Qarnit Stew.  

Qarnit is Maltese for octopus.  

Octopus is the stuff of legend.

And sometimes the stuff of science fiction.

Check out It Came from Beneath the Sea, a dandy 1955 Sci-Fi film about a giant octopus that attacked San Francisco. 

A few years ago I mentioned that Carmela makes Octopus Salad.

It's a green salad topped with bite-sized pieces of cooked octopus.

The fun part is finding octopus if you don't have Carmela's connections.

That and cooking it until you can actually bite into it.

If your grocery store is like mine you'll find a bag labeled Seafood Combination.

There are tiny octopus tentacles in it.

Not quite the same, but beggars can't be choosers.

A bit of octopus trivia…

Octopus is known in Hawaii by Hawaiian or Japanese names (he'e and tako).

In Hawaii Octopus is also a popular fish bait.

Imagine having it so readily available!

Octopus is a common food in Mediterranean cuisine. 

On the Tunisian island of Djerba, people catch them by taking advantage of the animals' habit of hiding in safe places. In the evening they put ceramic pots on the sea bed. The next morning they check them for octopuses. 

In the Greek islands octopuses are often caught by spear fishing close to the shore. 

No matter how you catch them, octopus needs to be cooked a good long time.  

                        Stuffat tal-Qarnit

Clean and wash

octopus, about 2 pounds

Cut in small portions.

Simmer in salted water until tender.

While the octopus is cooking, start the stew.

In a dutch oven heat

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Add

2 large onions, sliced

Fry until golden.

Add

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Cook 2 minutes.

Add

1 Cup red wine

8 olives

1 Tablespoon mint

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 Cup raisins

1/2 Cup mixed nuts

the cooked octopus

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Season with

salt and pepper to taste

Simmer gently for an hour.

You should stir it occasionally.

Add more liquid (either water or wine) if it becomes too dry.

About ten minutes before serving add

1 Cup peas

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with crusty bread or pasta.

Carmela Soprano's Polipetti in Salsa di Pomodoro - Baby Octopus in Tomato Sauce l Preparing Octopus and Friselle

A few days ago I was posting 'I'll never make that' recipes for relaxation.

Well, here's another one.

Unless baby octopus is a common item in your neighbourhood.

The librarian, Natalie Del Greco, had written an interesting chapter called

Cooking the Neapolitan Way for Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Octopus is a common food in Mediterranean and Portuguese cuisine.

So I guess octopus could be a common item in a Neapolitan neighbourhood.

Hints:

Friselle are black pepper biscuits.

Before serving, sprinkle them with cool water and let them sit for 10 minutes.

After they soften, break them into pieces and put the pieces in 6 bowls.

Toasted sliced Italian bread works, too.

If you have fresh tomatoes, substitute

2 Cups peeled, seeded and chopped for the canned.

About octopus… 

Before cooking, rinse the octopus and drain well.

Remove the hard round beak at the base of the tentacles of each octopus.

Cooked octopus contains about 139 Calories per three-ounce portion,

and is a source of vitamin B3, B12, potassium, phosphorus, and selenium.

The arms and body parts are prepared in various ways, depending on the species.

Octopus is an ingredient in Japanese cuisine: sushi, takoyaki, and akashiyaki.

In Korea, some small species are sometimes eaten alive as a novelty food.

A live octopus is usually sliced up, and it is eaten while still squirming.

Don't worry.

These babies are served cooked.

                        Polipetti in Salsa di Pomodoro

Serves 6

In a large saucepan place

2 pounds prepared baby octopus (see above)

2 Cups Italian tomatoes, chopped and peeled

1/4 Cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

pinch of crushed red pepper

salt to taste

Bring to a simmer and cover the pot.

Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.

Uncover the pot and cook for 15 minutes.

The octopus should be tender when pierced with a knife.

Place the prepared friselle or toasted sliced Italian bread in the 6 bowls.

Spoon the octopus and sauce on top of the bread.

Sprinkle with the remaining

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Serve immediately.

Would I make Polipetti in Salsa di Pomodoro?

Sure, if I could find it.

Or if I move to Naples.

Location is everything.

One recipe down.  Twenty-three more to go.

Carmela Soprano's Octopus Salad, Anna Sultana's Qarnit Stew (Octopus stew, Maltese Style)

There are signs and then there are signs.

Last week we saw that Turner Classics was showing It Came from Beneath the Sea, a dandy 1955 Sci-Fi film about a giant octopus that attacked San Francisco.  Imagine how it would've looked in 3D.

Anyhow, I remembered that Ma sometimes made Qarnit Stew.  Qarnit is Maltese for octopus.  I flipped through Entertaining with The Sopranos to see if Carmela fed Tony and the gang any octopus.  Carmela goes the salad route with octopus.

Well, it is Lent and we should eat some seafood.

Okay... here I ran into trouble.  Carmela lives in New Jersey.  Near the ocean.  No problem for her to get octopus.  Fulton Fish Market is on the way home from work for Tony.   

Try telling the fellow behind the fish counter at either Safeway or Sobey's in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that you want an octopus.  I mean, we are in the prairies.  Wheat we got.  Polar bears we got.  Beluga whales we got.

Octopus gets you funny looks.  Especially if you have gray hair.

I browsed through the frozen food's fish section and found something called Seafood Combination.  I saw the picture.  It had octopus tentacles.  Okay... good enough.

Carmela Soprano's Octopus Salad is a pretty easy recipe.  A green salad topped with bite-sized pieces of cooked octopus.  Either salad or stew, the octopus gets cooked a good long time.  I cooked the Seafood Combination.  I made the salad with the Seafood Combination.  I served the salad.

Then I played 20 questions.

Paul poked at his salad.  "What's in this?"

"Fish."

"What kind of fish?"

"Fish.  You know... fish."

Paul got a little testy.  "Okay. I recognize the shrimp and the clams.  What's the rest of this stuff?"

"Oh, for the love of Mike."  I went to the garbage, fished out the bag and read, "Mussels.  Happy now, Sherlock?"

"What else?"

"Cuttlefish," I read.

Paul started to smell a rat.  "What else?"

The jig was up.  I gulped and muttered, "Squid and octopus."

I don't know if it was the squid or the octopus that got to him that night.  Either way, there was a fair amount of leftovers. 

Most of the fish Ma grew up with aren't available in Queens, New York.  Things like lampuki, vopi, cerna, dott, accola, sargu and dentici.  We ate a lot of bluefish, some of it fresh from Sheep's Head Bay.  Ma fried, poached, grilled and baked fish.  No problem getting us to eat fish.  We liked bluefish.  But then, sometimes, she made Qarnit Stew.

Then we'd play 20 questions with her.   

Another recipe down.  Seventy-two more to go.