A Grand “Bon Voyage” Dinner (Octopus, Salmon, Smelts, Escarole Soup & More!)

I have only known Lori a couple of years, but being that she moved in next door, and we met during the summer when I was on a mission to get my garden looking more like a “garden”, we seemed to bump into each other a lot. Suffice is to say; we became friends.

These unassuming little fish are super delicious

Since then, in the summertime we’ve had plenty of “Yard Time” as Lori liked to call our lolling in the garden drinking all sorts of things from bubbly prosecco, to all manner of wines. On occasion we would venture out to a couple of the local wineries and do our lolling there! 

escarole soup (sublime)

During the colder months there would be dinners at my house, and many of those nights we would settle in and talk until way too late, and meet the next morning for coffee a little bleary-eyed.

Lori has an enviable little apartment in the cool Lower East Side of Manhattan and we spent a very memorable few days there this summer (type “New York City Food Adventure” in the search box to the right of my blog).

Now it is time for Lori to go on to bigger and better things and last Tuesday was our last little gathering while still being my neighbor. I wanted it to be something to remember, and so planned to cook lots of different dishes for us to taste. I invited our friend Tom, who also wanted to say goodbye to Lori, who had become a friend.

This was a big hit with everybody, from smallest to biggest!

My task was a little ambitious, and the way things worked out that day, what with school, driving here, there and everywhere, I didn’t end up in the kitchen until 1 hour before everyone descended upon me – yikes. 

I started to panic, but then I remembered I was cooking for friends, people who have seen me in all sorts of moods and situations, and I took a deep calming breath and smiled. What was I anxious about?

I always seem to cook best under pressure so everything should work out fine, and, that is exactly what happened.

I decided the best thing to do was get each dish started, or planned, and progressively cook throughout the evening. Everyone coming (save for a friend of Lori’s we had never met) was very aware of the fact that being in the kitchen was not a chore for me, and so did not worry as I darted in and out of the kitchen between dishes.

amazing octopus; I really think I saved the best for last with this one.

Lori is vegetarian, but when I force her, she will eat fish. This gave me so much more to work with. I decided to make it a fish sort of evening, with the exception of Tofu Fries.

The most anticipated dish was the octopus. I had actually have never tackled one before, and my son had begged me on more than one hundred occasions to buy one and give it a go!

I gave in when drooling over the fish counter the day before, while shopping for this dinner party. I had to consult a cookbook on how the heck to approach this scary-looking cephalopod, and I knew for sure that Mario Batali would have some sound advice for me.

Sure enough, I got some insightful information, not the least being that I should put a wine cork in the cooking liquid for more tender meat! Really Mario? I’m sure he got this advice from some old Italian lady who had spent her lifetime in the kitchen. He also said that a frozen (then thawed) octopus would also result in tender meat.

Use fresh herbs over dried, and you can make any dish a winner

So, when at the fish counter I asked the fish monger for a frozen octopus (which I defrosted in the fridge slowly overnight),  along with picking up a bottle of white wine on my way home. I wanted to cook my own thing after that. More than half of the fun for me in the kitchen, is coming up with my own dishes. Once I have a basic knowledge of how foods behave, I find it is easy enough to come up with something on my own.

Not to say that I wasn’t a little nervous about the whole thing, but I managed to produce a dish that everyone was more than pleased with. Lori was the only one who didn’t join in. She just couldn’t do it, of course making me feel guilty for eating one of the most intelligent creatures in the ocean!

She did go into a revery over the escarole soup however, and her friend Marty who joined us was tickled to be presented with a plate of fried smelts, a dish that sent him hurtling back to his childhood in Wisconsin. In fact, he started taking pictures of the food and sending them to a friend who was eating at a restaurant in another part of the country. She began sending him pictures to rival his, and so the competition began; whose food was better?

Marty showed Tom a picture of a delicious steak that his friend was eating, and that he declared, was edging me out of first place, that is until he tasted my Salmon, with it’s robust and sticky soy marinade and he was lost forever!

What was even more amusing was when I found out that Marty’s friend thought he was actually at a restaurant too; high praise indeed!

This has to be up there with one of the most fun and memorable dinners of the year, and I look forward to seeing Lori again, and have an excuse to cook more wonderful food, and more importantly, sit in delightful company.

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Octopus Dish (serves 6 as appetizer)

You will need: 1 super-fresh octopus ( about 1 1/2 lbs. Get your fish monger to clean it and empty the ink sac – previously frozen is also fine), 1 medium onion, quartered, 3 cloves garlic, peeled & left whole, leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme,  1 vegetarian or chicken bouillon cube, 2 cups water, (or 2 cups chicken or veggie broth),  1 cup white wine, 4 tbs unsalted butter, 3 tbs lemon juice, 1 tsp sea-salt, 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, 6 toast points (toasted or fried bread triangles, 1 wine cork (yes, a wine cork!)

1 – Put the octopus in a pot with the liquids (wine & water or broth), bouillon cube (if using), garlic, onion and wine cork. If your octopus is big than add more water. It does not have to cover it (the octopus will naturally float above the water a little). Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Take pot off of heat and let it sit in the water to cool (I left it in the liquid until I was ready to cut and saute it)

Octopus ready to simmer

2 – Remove the octopus and strain the onion and garlic from the water and reserve (discard the cooking liquid). Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces leaving the curled tentacle ends in tact.

Remove octopus from cooking liquid

3 – Put big saute pan on medium heat and add the butter. When it melts add the strained onions and garlic, alone with the thyme leaves and parsley. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the octopus. Saute for 3 or 4 minutes before swilling in the lemon juice. Stir gently with a wooden spoon. The mixture will thicken and become creamy.

chop the octopus leaving the frond-like tentacle ends in tact (nice highlight on the plate)

Serve on toast points, adding a sprinkle of sea-salt flakes to the finished dish.

Ready to be amazed?

Escarole Soup (serves 6)

You will need: 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 2 heads escarole, washed & leaves separated, 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, 3 sprigs thyme, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper flakes, 1 tsp sea-salt flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, 1 vegetarian stock cube, crumbled, 6 cups water, 3 large pieces of bread, cut into thick sticks, 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves, 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil.

1 – Put soup pot (about 4 qt) on medium heat and add the oil. Saute the diced onions and garlic  for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs and salt and give everything a stir.

saute onions

2 – Add the escarole leaves and cayenne pepper (the leaves will come to the top of your pot, but don’t worry, they will wilt!). Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, turning every so often to encourage the escarole to wilt.

add escarole leaves and cayenne pepper

3 – Add the liquid and bouillon cube and stir. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and taste liquid for further seasoning (salt & pepper?)

simmer for 20 minutes or so

4 – While soup is cooking, put saute pan on medium heat and add about 3 tbs of extra-virgin olive oil and the chopped rosemary. When the oil heats up, add the bread slices and cook until lightly browned on both sides. Turn off heat and pile bread to one side of the pan to keep warm until ready to serve.

fry bread in olive oil and rosemary leaves

Serve soup in shallow bowls with a couple of pieces of the herby, oily bread.

escarole soup

Aromatically Fried Smelts (serves 6 as appetizer)

You will need: 1 lb fresh smelts, rinsed and patted dry, 1 tsp mixed spices or good quality curry powder, (I used crushed fennel, cumin, funugreek, turmeric), 1 tsp sea-salt (I used Maldon), freshly cracked black pepper, 1/3 cup very fine flour, 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges, 6 (or more) tbs extra-virgin olive oil (regular olive oil will do too).

1 – Mix your flour, spices, pepper and salt on a large plate and toss the smelts in the mixture until lightly coated. Put large saute pan on high heat. When the pan is hot, add about 4 tbs of oil.

fry smelts in hot pan

2 – Fry the smelts for about 2 to 3 minutes per side in a single layer (you may have to cook in two batches). Do not touch the pan while they cook, as fiddling with the fish may make them stick! If your pan is nice and hot, this should not happen.

serve with lemon wedges

Serve on a big platter with a spritz of lemon juice and extra lemon wedges. Eat with your hand – delicious!

Salmon Morsel (serves 6)

You will need: 3 salmon fillets (6 oz each), cut in half, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 1 tbs sugar, 4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tbs flat-leaf parsley, barely chopped, 1/2 cup sour cream (optional), 1 tbs chili garlic sauce (optional)

1 – Mix the mirin, soy sauce and sugar in a shallow casserole or dish. Add the salmon and flip a few times to coat. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours (can do this earlier in the morning so are ready to go by dinner)

marinate salmon for several hours

2 – Place big saute pan on high heat and add about 3 tbs of the oil. When it is hot, add a single layer of fish to the pan (well-spaced, and shaking the fish of excess liquid as you go). Cook for about 3 or so minutes per side, making sure to leave fish alone as it fries. Place on plate to keep warm, and continue frying fish until done, (you will need to add more oil as you go).

Garnish with sour cram & chili paste, topped of with a flourish of parsley (Tom said that the strong parsley flavor "made" this dish, and I couldn't disagree, being my favorite herb and all!)

Serve fish with a dollop of cream mixed with the chili sauce and a few chopped  parsley leaves.

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We sure will miss you Lori

and you too Button...

Have a fun Adventure!

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