I selected an Italian Pinot Grigio for today’s winesday: Montelvini 2005. My meal to match was Chickpea and Octopus Bruschetta, Creamy Fennel Soup and a simple salad of mixed greens and radishes. I recently found out that Jennifer McIlvaine, creator of the bruschetta recipe and owner of Bruschettina, a popular food stand at several of Seattle’s farmer’s markets, is selling her business and moving to Italy. Sadly, I never had the chance to try her famous bruschetta but, thanks to Sunset magazine, I was able to get the recipe for her signature dish and thought I would give it a try.

I have never cooked octopus and it kind of freaked me out a little. Not in a vomit-inducing sort of way like when I pull the guts out of squid. It was more of a ghoulish experience, appropriate for the current Halloween season, I guess. I had a tough time finding baby octopus but finally managed to get my hands on some at Uwajimaya. Unfortunately, I had to buy 2 whole pounds and it was sold encased in a giant, heavy block of ice. I didn’t need the full 2 pounds for this dish so, last night, I decided to partially thaw the block so that I could break it into smaller sections and then refreeze what I didn’t use. I lugged the block out of the freezer and peered into its murky depths. I could just barely make out a mass of tentacles splayed out everywhere within the ghostly ice. At this point, I was already a bit spooked. I began to run water over the ice and slowly, one by one, as they defrosted, individual tentacles managed to squirm, poke and flop their way out of the block. They appeared to be coming to life like octopus zombies. Very creepy. Finally, one little octopus became thawed enough to fall completely away from the rest of the pack and then, when I was able to see it in its entirety and confirm that it was indeed dead, I relaxed. I was able to pick it up without fear and even considered chasing Robert around the house with it.

For the bruschetta itself, I used hominy bread from Tall Grass Bakery which is what Jennifer McIlvaine uses at Bruschettina. It had a really good flavor and texture and resulted a very different bruschetta than I am used to. Combined with the chickpea and octopus topping, it was very rustic. The wine might have been “rustic” as well. I see that on the descriptions for Italian wines a lot but, really, what does a rustic beverage taste like? I do know that this wine was very pale in color with a bright, fruity aroma and crisp, citrusy taste. And, as with most wines, I liked it!