David Ross

I’ve cooked with squid for years, but in really simple dishes like fish stews, deep-fried or as a garnish for other seafood. This was my first attempt using octopus as the main star of a dish. I went into it with trepidation, but in the end, I was very surprised. I bought these frozen, pre-cleaned, baby octopus from my fishmonger. They’re not labeled or pre-packaged, so I think he gets them in fresh in bulk and then bags them and freezes them at the store. I’ll ask him about the source next time I’m in- The dish is a combination of recipes—my own tomato sauce, (taken from the Time-Life series Foods of the World-The Cooking of Italy), and Mario Batali’s recipe for “Squid from Santa Lucia’s Port, (Calamari all Luciana). I chose baby octopus rather than squid and I selected bucatini pasta because I wanted something in the shape of spaghetti, yet heavy enough in texture to stand up to a thick and spicy tomato sauce. I intentionally chose a recipe that called for using a “cork” to soften the octopus. I wanted to see if the old wives tale was true—that cork has natural properties that tenderizes octopus. The recipe calls for boiling the octopus in water with a good dose of red wine vinegar. I suspect that’s the scientific proof, not the cork. The acid element in vinegar is most likely what tenderizes the octopus. (At least it made me feel like I was following some sort of authentic method). The first part of the recipe sounds scary-“simmer the octopus for 50-60 minutes until tender.” Baby Octopus in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Bucatini- The Octopus- 2 pounds baby octopus, cleaned, tentacles cut off body and bodies cut into 1/2” wide rings 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar 2 used wine corks Fill a large deep pot with water. Add the vinegar, and the wine corks and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and add the octopus. Cook the octopus for 50 minutes. Drain the octopus from the water and allow to cool. At this point you can refrigerate the octopus in a covered dish until ready for service. After nearly an hour in a hot water bath- Some of the sauce ingredients and the dried Italian bucatini- Tomato Sauce, Day One- 2 tbsp. olive oil ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion 2 cups canned, diced, San Marzano tomatoes 3 tbsp. tomato paste 2 tbsp. minced fresh basil 1 tbsp. minced fresh oregano 1 tsp. sugar Salt and fresh ground black pepper Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and cook until the onions are soft yet not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar and salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the saucepan. Cook the sauce for 1 hour. Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and puree. The sauce can be kept covered and refrigerated. At this point I kept the octopus in the refrigerator overnight. I had no clue as to whether it was going to be soft and tender or bounce like a super ball. Tomato Sauce, Day Two- 4 tbsp. olive oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp. dried red chile flakes 2 cups tomato sauce ½ cup dry white wine 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil 1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano 1 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley On the day you’re ready to use the sauce, heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once it’s warmed, add the garlic and the chile flakes and cook until the garlic just starts to turn brown. Don’t let the garlic burn. Add the tomato sauce, the wine, and the pre-cooked octopus. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the sauce, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. And the octopus braising in the pot for 30 minutes- While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the dried bucatini pasta and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. (I happen to prefer soft pasta to ‘al dente.’) Drain the bucatini, reserving some of the pasta water. Turn the bucatini into the octopus in tomato sauce and toss to combine. (You can add pasta water to thin the sauce at this point). Stir the pasta and sauce into a serving dish, garnish with some of the octopus and chopped Italian parsley. The final dish, Baby Octopus in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Bucatini- The octopus was tender yet had some “chew” to it, akin to a properly cooked razor clam. The sauce, fiercly redolent of garlic and the heat of the chiles, was a perfect match for the octopus. A wimpy white wine sauce wouldn’t have stood up in this dish. The bucatini was a bit too thick, spaghetti might have been a better choice. But all in all, a very good dish for a novice attempt at cooking octopus.

Looks delicious.

You need 4 Italian Grandmothers around the table helping stuff those devils.

Not sure about Heidi, but I always keep the tentacles in one piece. I like the presentation of all those curly little tentacles, but I also like the texture of that part of the squid so I keep it in one piece. It's fairly small and will shrink during cooking. One of my dishes is squid braised in a spicy tomato sauce with tentacles (one piece, not chopped), then the bodies cut in rings.

Before I started cooking I did a comparison between pre-cleaned frozen squid from the supermarket and whole frozen squid from my fishmonger. The pre-cleaned squid was farm-raised in Vietnam. It sold for 3.99 for 12oz. I didn't get a photo of the packaging, but the tentacles were separated from the bodies and packed into a separate compartment in the box. These squid were really tiny, which I found was not as desirable as larger squid due to the shrinkage that takes place during cooking- I bought a 3lb. box of frozen whole squid from the fishmonger. It was slightly cheaper than the pre-cleaned squid from the supermarket. They're from a California company- The whole squid were about twice the size of the pre-cleaned squid, but certainly not as convenient. I've cleaned a lot of squid so I don't mind the time it takes to cut the tentacles off the head, pull the skin layer of the body, pull out the innards and then pull out the quill. If you're a novice at cleaning squid, the box has clear instructions. The uncleaned whole squid- And the cleaned squid with tentacles, and bodies cut into thick rings- Whenever I buy the pre-cleaned stuff I'm disappointed. It's puny and doesn't have much flavor. One wonders how long it's been sitting in the freezer case at Safeway. The whole squid always taste fresher, (albeit they've been frozen), and the size advantage makes a difference in the end result of my cooked dishes.

Just at the market for a few basic items and what did they have? A huge fresh octopus. I didn't buy it, but now I know there's a source close by for ordering fresh octopus. Working on my first squid dish for this evening.

For a long time I worked in Seattle but lived in Spokane. I only travel to Seattle occasionally for business, but I'm still fairly well dialed into their food scene.

I'm in Eastern, WA, in Spokane. My fishmonger has very good frozen octopus, baby octopus and two types of squid. We just don't have a large enough demographic over here that would make it worth the cost for him to carry fresh octopus. I might try having something shipped over from Seattle.

Do you always use fresh squid? The only products I have available are frozen, but they seem to work well. I'm wondering if freezing breaks down the squid, ultimately affecting the cooked flavor?

So I'm getting ready to cook a squid dish and I'm wondering about this business of "corks." Is it truly a legendary tale told by a Greek Fisherman? Do old wine corks really tenderize squid and octopus? What say you?

Working on my first dish. It's a combination of a number of recipes, including a squid dish from Mario Batali. Well, he calls it Squid in the title of the dish, "Squid from Santa Lucia's Port," (Calamari alla Luciana), yet refers to calamari in the text of the recipe. I'm hoping his instructions to cook the squid twice, the first time for 50 minutes and the second cooking for 30 minutes, won't overcook the buggars to the texture of shoe leather.

Thanks for the link. Ironically, like the BBC recipe I'm going to be using squid and cannelini beans in one of my dishes. And I love the combination of smoky chorizo and seafood. Luckily, I have some dried Spanish chorizo in my fridge so I think I might work that into my dish.

Ah. So you're going to show us a delicious Cuttlefish dish!

You are correct that in America we often use calamari and squid as interchangeable words to describe the same thing. I see it as the same discussion we find with the terms shrimp, prawns and tiger prawns. The same item yet with a loose definition for most consumers. Menus at mid-level restaurants and bars tend to use the term calamari since that's more familiar and appealing to a mass-customer base. And yes, it's synonymous with the deep-fried stuff. We're talking frozen calamari, (a.k.a. squid), rings that are pre-cooked, breaded, frozen and packed into 5lb. bags, shipped to a food service company and then on to an individual restaurant. I've been to places where they don't include the tentacles and simply serve the rings. Again, an attempt I suppose to appeal to customers who just like deep-fried, crunchy food they can dip into bottled marinar or tartar sauce. (Personally, I prefer the tentacles). On the other hand, when I dine at an upscale Italian restaurant the Chef always uses the term squid on his menu. He's from Northern Italy and stays true to not only his cooking but authentic descriptions on his menu. Regardless of how he prepares it, it's "squid." I've gone through a large number of my Chinese cookbooks and they all use the term "squid," whether it be deep-fried, braised or stir-fried. In the opening paragraph, unintentionally, I used the terms interchangeably, so I'm glad you brought the question forward. Great starting point for our discussion and cook-off.

Welcome to the 2013 kick-off of our popular eG Cook-Off Series. In 2012, our Cook-Offs ran the gamut from “Hash,” to “Cured, Brined, Smoked and Salted Fish,” onto “Banh Mi” and ending the 2012 season with a discussion of “Gels, Jell-O, Aspic.” (Click here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143994-egullet-recipe-cook-off-index/ for the complet eG Cook-Off Index). I made a personal discovery during our “Gels, Jell-O, Aspic” Cook-off. I found a little metal Jell-O mold on a dark, back shelf in a kitchen cupboard. That little mold led to a cherished family memory and became the vessel that would hold one of the most delicious dishes I’ve ever crafted. (Click here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143597-cook-off-61-gels-jell-o-and-aspic/ to read about the delicious jiggly dishes we created). Today we’re going to venture into the depths of a discussion about a sea-dweller that is so scary looking to some they refuse to eat the delicious little devils. The horrors of being presented with a steaming bowl of soup with little appendages peeking out. Join in and let’s put forth our very best “Squid, Calamari and Octopus” dishes. Knowing your passion for cuisine, I don’t expect to see squid rings coated in gummy batter and deep-fried to the point that they bounce on the floor like a rubber ball. No, I’m guessing we’ll plate some fabulous dishes that showcase the versatility of these unique creatures.

After watching the finale for a third time I have an even greater appreciation for Kristen and her talents and style of cuisine. I can't wait to try that snapper dish in my own kitchen.

I'm sure well start a new topic about this season's Top Chef Masters once it airs. In the end, I think this was probably my favorite season of Top Chef.

I don't think I'd be interested in a Top Chef Winners series, but after this season, Kristen solidified my Top Chef dream team; Harold, Hung, Paul and Kristen.

I wasn't overly impressed by the gushing at the table of former Top Chef winners and I'd agree that some displayed larger egos than others. I could care less if you cook for the King of Siam. Resumes don't impress me as much as tasting your food. Yet I was pleased that Padma did mini bios of the winners and we could see their success and the inspiration that Top Chef has given young Chefs coming up through the ranks. I think Kristen's final dish appeared to have more focus and purity of flavor than Brooke's. And I would probably agree with Gail on the cut of the leeks in Kristen's dish--if they are cut too long they get stringy. As we progressed through the season I kept thinking Brooke was heading to a direction that could prove her undoing. Dishes that are overly descriptive on a written menu but entice the diner. Yet when you taste the elements on the plate they compete with one another and are over-worked. Pomegranate seeds are the popular garnish of the day, let's pair pork cheef with red snapper, how about a sorrel sauce, on and on and on. Not having tasted either Chefs food, my constructive criticism for both is to work on the details and putting more focus on each element of a dish.

I went into the finale with a pre-conceived notion that I wasn't going to like the format. But I often surprise myself and I actually liked the format of the Chefs cooking in a more challenging situation than previous finales when the Chefs knew ahead of time that they'd be cooking a full menu in their culinary style. I sort of see it as the challenge of working in a kitchen preparing tasting menus on the fly. And Kristen really redeemed her poor leadership skills in restaurant wars by coming back and strongly yet confidently leading her team.

Kristen has a very long future as a Top Chef.

And I'm not being overly dramatic when I simply say again that it's so refreshing that the final four Chefs showed that they do like and respect one another. The previews make the finale look sort of like a live "Kitchen Stadium" type of cook-off. Based on what I've seen I'm not overly excited about that format, but we'll see.

Really, arguing about the minutiae behind the precise placement of a pink peppercorn isn't the point. In the end, what matters at the Judges table is not so much definitions but outstanding food. It's really that simple. Sheldon was already hanging by a thread and his earlier mistakes caught up with him in the first-round of the finale. Brooke and Kristen weren't fabulous, but they were better than Sheldon.

Agreed, and quite refreshing.

I've never hidden the fact that I'm rooting for Kristen to win the title, and I do agree she cooks in a French-style, but certainly has much more range and depth. I thought her take on a classic chicken pot pie was genius-substituting the traditional cream sauce with a sauce made of silken tofu. My one criticism of Kristen is that she was going too far in the earlier episodes in terms of creativity--too many garnishes, too many elements, one too many sauces on the plate. Now she has to just find that precise line and not cross it--the exact balance between creativity and simplicity. That's my failing mark against a lot of Chefs today--and not many ever achieve that perfect balance. I can understand how people may get confused by the Judges comments in terms of pushing a Chef to break out of their standard, but then criticize them for abandoning their "style." Sheldon was a perfect example. It seems that his perception of their criticism, (and Brooke's snarky comments), was that he should try and venture out of his comfort zone. That's not how I see it or viewed it. Sheldon was very good at seafood and soups, (albeit the salty broth last week notwithstanding). I say stay with what you know Sheldon, do dishes that speak to who you are.....but.....find that small little technique, that creative flair, that ingredient, (which might not be "Asian"), that brings your dish up to "Top Chef" level. That's my recommedation. Stay true to who you are, (i.e. French or Asian), but find your inner voice that gives your cooking soul, regardless of what someone else tells you that you must do. I offer a perfect example of what I'm talking about, (but of course, I'm not a Judge on Top Chef). People think of Joel Robuchon as a Master of French cuisine. That he is. But if you taste his food, you'll see that he tests the boundaries of what the old-guard would call French cuisine. It's an example any young Chef could learn from. The current 16-course "Menu Degustation" at Robuchon at the MGM Grand runs $435 per person, wines, cocktails and service not included. The caviar course probably surprises diners with Asian ingredients found in a dish at a haute French restaurant: Le Caviar- Red turnip and carrot leaves with yellowtail carpaccio, delicate veloute of corn, salmon tartar with shiso sprouts Robuchon uses lots of Asian and North African ingredients, but he's a French Chef.