By:Catherine Pergolis
A 30-hour long cooking process leaves diners ex-tremely satisfied after trying Strega’s grilled octopus appetizer. Chef Farouk Bazoune explained the pro-cess, which begins with soaking the whole octopus in salt for 30 minutes. Next, Chef explained that he adds a cork of red wine, celery, onions and carrots for flavor and then submerges the whole octopus in water 5 times to help curl the tentacles. Once the ten-tacles have been curled, the octopus is submerged in water and red wine and it simmers for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Later, Chef removes the octopus from the bath and lets it chill in the fridge for 3 hours. He then cuts the tentacles and prepares the marinade which consists of olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, and crushed red pepper and lets the flavors fuse for 20 minutes. Finally, Chef marinates the tentacles for 24 hours. Accompanying this tender and flavorful octopus is marinated pureed chickpeas, ’njuda vinaigrette, and a pistachio-based pesto. This Italian and Mediterra-nean inspired dish allows you to have different flavors with every bite.
Photo credit by Rocco Capano
