What has 8 legs and must have its teeth removed before cooking?

I should tell you that I still have not received my ATM card. Mike shipped it via Fed Ex on Thursday so I expected it to arrive at my school on Monday. Of course this expectation was tempered by the fact that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would not. So Monday afternoon arrived and I walk with purpose, as all Americans do, to school. No card. I checked my email and Fed Ex notified me that they had the incorrect address. I called the Italian number; gave the correct address, and the lovely woman promised that it will be delivered on Tuesday with such certainty that I almost believed her. Well, not really. As I rode my emotional financial roller coaster, I went to cooking class. In the regional Italian cooking, we studied Sardegna, Sardinia to you and me. Why do we change the names of locations? I really don’t think that Firenze is any more difficult than Florence. And Italy versus Italia just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Sardegna is an island off the coast of Italia, which has changed hands more times than the family fruit cake (which they love here). Therefore, Sardegna has a more varied and global culture. I’ve never been there so I have to believe the handout. We make mac and cheese with saffron, whipped ricotta, and pecorino. It was lighter and fluffier than the American version which is more smooth and rich. We used a pasta shape that most resembles maggots. The recipe actually suggests that we call it gnocchi, which I think is an insult to the potato cushion of goodness that is gnocchi. I have always wondered why we don’t have more food that looks like parasitic larva. Despite the maggots, it was delicious. It was mac and cheese, what’s not to like? Secondi (second course) was octopus salad. I was dubious, but it was wonderful. I’ve never had such tender octopus. We boiled it with potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and half a lemon for around 20 minutes. The octopus skin turned deep coral and dyed the potatoes a pretty salmon color. We added olive oil, lemon, and parsley and let the flavors meld while we enjoyed primi, the first course after appetizers, of mac and cheese. Fresh and not too fishy, I highly recommend it.