Carly and I are around three quarters of the way through reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, and still no octopus – or giant squid as Carly curiously hopes – despite the fact that every book cover and old movie poster shows those big old tentacles in some kind of menacing pose or another.
So far, the book almost feels like false advertising...but I know it's coming at some point because I remember the old technicolor movie. For those who might have forgotten the story, Captain Nemo has constructed a sleek metal submarine in which he and his crew explore the depths of the oceans in search of lost treasure. The question becomes, what is the purpose of this reclusive undersea explorer – is he motivated by greed, cynicism, adventure, lost love...what? Later on, after some development, we find out that Nemo, once he finds these treasures, spreads this wealth back to the poor and less fortunate of the world above. Jan and I decided to go out and find our own octopus in Madison last saturday night, not at the bottom of any tank but on our plates for appetizers at a great little corner restaurant called Nostrano's up near the capital.
Don't let the ingredients below fool you, as long as you can get past the sight and texture of eating these perfectly circular little suckers on the octopus arms, the overall taste is very well seasoned, sort of smoky and crisp, but simple, the meat similarly textured to maybe shrimp. I had never heard of Tarbais Beans (not shown) before, but they were plump and soaked the flavor of the harissa, a mild green chile sauce. Jan, not a fan of certain kinds of textures, but also a food adventurer, did have to close her eyes to eat these coils but was glad we took the dive.
GRILLED OCTOPUS
HARISSA AIOLI | TARBAIS BEANS | CELERY | TANGERINE AGRUMATO
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