Cuttlefish and Octopus are two of the strangest foods I have ever eaten, yet they are hands down my favorite dishes. I’ve always loved octopus, especially when it’s fried with calamari, but a few days ago I cooked a more uncommon recipe with octopus. Most people know what octopus is and what it looks like. Cuttlefish on the other hand, probably sounds quite strange. Though it has the word ‘fish’ in its name, it really isn’t a fish, it’s a shellfish; I wonder who comes up with these names… Cuttlefish is actually quite similar to squid in texture. In fact, in biological terms, it is in the same class as octopus and squid; the Cephalopoda class.
It is most commonly caught in the Mediterranean, East Asia, and the English Channel, each region with its own recipe. In East Asia, dried and shredded cuttlefish is a popular snack. It is extremely popular in Italy, where they use cuttlefish in Risotto al Nero di Seppia (literally meaning black cuttlefish rice which I would love to try someday). In Spain, breaded and deep-fried cuttlefish is a popular dish in Andalusa, where it is known as choco. They also make lots of spaghetti and rice dishes with cuttlefish and squid ink. And in Greece and Cyprus, the cuttlefish is most commonly cooked in a wine tomato sauce with plenty of onions, garlic, and parsley.
The first time I had cuttlefish was at my yiayia’s (grandma’s) house in Athens, Greece. This dish is commonly cooked during the lent/fast periods. In Greece and Cyprus, most people are Greek Orthodox Christians; therefore, they follow the Eastern Orthodox religion. Many people fast and have Lenten dishes they cook (without meat or cheese) – this is one of those. Since we were visiting during the 15 day fast in August, my grandpa was fasting. So my grandma made various dishes for him since we weren’t fasting. One day I remember her making a dish which she called ‘Soupies’ in Greek. It smelled absolutely incredible and I couldn’t help but try. Once I tried it, I almost wanted to ask my grandma to make another pot of it – it was SO good! For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like having the shish kabobs, crazy right? It was that good, that I have declared it, my favorite seafood – and that is quite an honorary position. So when my mom went to a fish shop downtown a few days ago and found cuttlefish (and realized that it was ‘soupies’) she bought a ton. I couldn’t wait to make this and share it with you! First I’ll start with the cuttlefish.
Ingredients (I used this from Vefa’s kitchen, but I altered some of the measurements):
1 kilo of cuttlefish (about 2.2 lbs)
2 large onions sliced
¼ - ½ cup water
¼ - ½ cup of olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
3 T tomato paste
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. allspice
15 black peppercorns
Salt and freshly ground pepper
*Optional - chopped parsley for color and garnish
Procedure:
Wash and cut cuttlefish into pieces. (Here I'm showing you what it looks like whole, compared to how I cut it)
Put them in a pan over medium heat and simmer them until all of their liquid evaporates.
In another pan, heat oil and sauté onions and garlic until translucent; add black peppercorns and allspice.
Add the cuttlefish to the onions, and stir for a few minutes.
Then add the wine and tomato paste dissolved in the water.
Cover and simmer over medium to low heat until the cuttlefish is soft and the sauce has thickened.
Now it's ready to eat! You can serve this with some rice and a salad, and you will not be able to stop eating.
Ingredients (for the baby octopus):
1 kilo baby octopus (about 2.2 lbs)
2 large onions sliced
½ cup of oil
3 cloves garlic
½ cup of white wine and ½ cup of red wine
½ cup water
3 T tomato paste
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. allspice
15 black peppercorns
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Procedure:
Wash the baby octopus.
Place them in boiling water with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.
Let it stand in water for about ten minutes and then drain the water. Meanwhile, in another pan, sauté onions and garlic with spices in oil.
Add the octopus to the onions. Add wine, and dissolve tomato paste in water.
Let simmer for about an hour, until tender and sauce has thickened.
Now, serve the octopus with some rice and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment