EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

You've been warned. Today, I'm writing about something that, frankly , freaks a lot of people out. Octopus. Ok, have we all gotten the EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW factor out? Now, let me ask you all a quesiton: have you ever tasted it, or have you just said "I'm not eating that its GROSS." Well, since intimidation is one of the current themes I'm running around with, I would like to suggest that you do something. Perhaps in a sushi restaurant, close your eyes and have someone just put a piece of it in your mouth. Or, when you're with someone who does eat it, ask for a small piece. Keep a napkin near your mouth. It's ok to spit it out. Or, if you have a favorite restaurant, and you know the people, and they serve octopus, there is nothing wrong with saying "I've never tried it and I'm curious. Can I just have a little sample?" If you're a regular, and a good customer, they will do it in an instant. Trust me. I do that kind of thing all the time.

I think octopus is delicious. Cold, hot, warm, you name it. I could eat it every day. I think I'm not alone, because more and more restaurants serve it. Lidia Bastianich speaks of selling lots of it at her restaurants, but bemoans the fact that so few people cook it at home.

There are resasons for this, however. If you have a fresh octopus, and you have to clean it yourself, this is a chore. It's a bloody awful chore, especially getting the ink sack out before it bursts. Think beet juice is hard to clean up? Try octopus ink. And also, octopus takes a long time to cook. A LOOOOOONG time.

Fortunately, here is one where the "marvels of modern technology" help you out. When you buy octopus at a fish monger, it's almost always octopus that has been frozen and thawed, or is still frozen. Nothing tenderizes octopus better than freezing and thawing. And in the process, they clean it for you. If they haven't, walk away from it. I've done it, and it's too much of a hassle. Enough places do it for you (I got mine from the supermarket, believe it or not).

You will need to buy more octopus than you think you need, because octopus shrinks a LOT when it cooks. Plan on a half pound of cleaned octopus per person, maybe more. That's if you combine it with something like potatoes, as we're doing here. If you're eating it alone, one pound per person is the right amount. I'm very serious about that. This means getting more than one. The average octopus weighs in at about a pound and a half. You can do the math.

How do you cook it? Well, it's easy. First, of course, thaw it. When it's thawed, no matter how many octopusses you're cooking, put three heaping tablespoons of olive oil in a solid, heavy pan, together with LOTS of garlic ( I use a whole head, peeled), some bay leaves, perhaps some hot pepper, and a sprinkle of salt. Then, put in the octopus, sack(the head) side down). Bring this to a sizzle, over medium heat, cover the pan, lower the heat and let it simmer away for about 25 minutes. Then, stir it a little and let it cook for another fifteen minutes.

During that fifteen minute period, peel and cube three nice sized potatoes, and start boiling them in some salted water. That way they'll be ready just about the time the octopus is.

After the fifteen minutes, you might take the cover off of the pan, and let the pulpo (mediterranean for octopus), for another ten minutes, to reduce the liquid to a nice syrup. You're all but done here. Now, when the beast is cool enough to handle, cut away the tentacles, and cut these into bite sized pieces. Then slice the sack into thin strips. Drain the potatoes, mix them together, and you've got a really solid wonderful, unusual dish for lunch, as we do today.

As an old comedian used to say "YOU'VE HAD WORST THINGS IN YOU MOUTH." Well, I think that's true of all of us. Give it a try. Yes, you may not like it, but how will you know?