Octopus stew (Stuffat Tal-Qarnit)
This dish is quintessential Maltese. Rustic, soul-warming, delicious, and made to be shared. I hear my dad’s voice as I make it, I hear Auntie Vivi telling me I need to put the red wine cork in the pot to stop the octopus going tough, I hear cousins fighting over who gets the crust off the Vienna bread. This dish says family to me. I prefer this recipe using large octopus. You do need to take a few steps to assist in breaking down the collagen to make the octopus tender.. One way is to freeze the octopus. Freezing helps soften the tentacles. When in San Sebastian I learned the plunge method to help make the octopus silky smooth like butter. Our chefs that day laughed when I asked about using a wine cork to stop the octopus being tough. They had heard the story many times but assured me it has no scientific basis. I was never brave enough to tell Aunty Vivi that! You can of course use baby octopus—in that case, just cut them in half and skip the initial steps outlined below to prep...
