Oh...I think it's brain exploded, or Cooking Octopus for the First Time

Octopus from Gannets in the Galway Market

Finished product

Went to the Galway Market this morning, mainly with the intention of picking up some veggies. But, as always happens when I go to the market unsupervised, it turned into a bit of a shopping spree. Started off at the feta and olive stall, divine! Bought sardines, feta and olive. Then on to one of the organic veggie stalls, for the most beautiful cherry tomatoes I've ever seen. Then onto the cheese mongers, for goats cheese with fenugreek and gouda with cumin. Was heading home and passed the fish mongers stall, Gannets, saw octopus on sale had to buy it. Gannets recently won the Bord Bia (Irish food board) award for best restaurant supplier in Ireland.
I have never cooked octopus before, but when the opportunity presents itself, you have to give it a go. Bought two lovely octopi. Then on to an organic bakery stall for the ciabatta. YUM!!!!!
Cooking the octopus was a bit of an adventure. We had to gut it, which should probably not have been as difficult as it was. Instead I ended up accidentally poking the gut sack with the scissors. BRAINS EVERYWHERE! Note to self, be a bit more careful.
Washed the octopus, gutted it, cleaned up brains, then beat it to tenderize the meat. Tossed it in with a bit of garlic and olive oil and fried it til it changed from clearish to white. Squeezed on some fresh lemon and added a bit of pepper. I am not really one for cooking seafood. I don't really know how to and am always terrified of over cooking it. This has definitely encouraged me to give it a bit more of a go.
This has also made me realize what an amazing asset the Galway Market it. I've always liked it and would go there with some regularity, but today really drove home what a novelty it is to have such amazing food for so cheap within walking distance of my house. The advantage it, most of it is local baked, grown or caught and all the stalls are local small business owners. I am really fortunate to have access to such a fantastic array of fresh local food.

Easiest Sick Day Soup

I have a cold, a full blown head exploding, nose running, coughing, sore throat cold. Now I am prone as most people are to get these every so often, but this is summer!!! I cannot believe I have summer cold. So instead of frolicking about in the sun I am curled out under a blanket, looking longingly out the window. Boo, poor me, isn't life hard...ha.

But the bright side of having a cold (other than how amazing it feels when you wake up and feel better) is nothing really drives you to figure out simple delicious recipes like having no energy, but needing to cook. Thus, another recipe that probably shouldn't really be called a recipe....

Easiest Sick Day Soup-
this is chocked full of all the stuff you supposed to eat when you sick, measurements aren't important as they will very depending what heat/flavor you like and how messed up you taste buds are with the cold. I made this yesterday and left the seeds in the chilies, thought it was mildly spicy. Normally, I take the seeds out because I find they completely overpower the dish. Goes to show how much your sense of smell by extension taste gets all out of wake when you have a cold.


Ingredients
a) Chicken/Beef/Veggie Bullion/Broth/Stock (all they sell here is these stupid little bullion cubes that are so salty I think they are probably causing significant strain on my poor little heart, but we work with what we have). If available I would suggest using the awesome carton low sodium broth or home made stock.
b) 1 tablespoon of Ginger
c) 2 cloves garlic
d) 1 large or 2 small chili peppers (seeds in or out depending on tolerance)
e) 1 dash soy sauce
f) chopped fresh cilantro/ coriander to garnish
g) chopped green onion to garnish
h) lime juice to taste
i) 1 egg
j) Water (if not already using broth)

Cooking
Due to illness, the cooking method is fairly slipshod.
1) Chock everything (except the egg, cilantro, green onion and lime juice) in a pot, add enough water for a large bowl of soup. Chop green onions and cilantro (if you are lazy like me, use kitchen shears/scissors).
2) Whisk the egg with a fork in a bowl. When the water is on the verge of a boil, slowly pour in the egg while stirring the soup. This will create an egg drop soup effect. You could also just try poaching the egg in the broth, but when I tried that it did very weird and not nice things to it.
3) When egg is cooked, add chopped cilantro, chopped green onion and squeeze/dash lime juice.

Not terribly ground breaking stuff here, but delicious, healthy and full of all sorts of symptom fighting super ingredients-  Garlic, ginger, lime, chili and a good does of easy to eat protein and nutrients in the form of the egg. I would advise though if making this when not ill, you might want to pare down on the amount of each ingredient added in, depending on taste. Normally I would use about these amounts for a pot not a serving of soup, but it take a lot to blast through the cold. I also think this would be lovely with some greens, but I am currently living in a veggie free.