Who say's you can't cook gourmet "off the grid"?

The other day when we were in Fort Collins for a reunion of Destin's brother and sister, we stopped by Whole Foods and picked up a 1 pound octopus and a few squid. Next door at Wilbur's we got a nice rosé wine.

Last night, we cooked up a great seafood dinner: grilled octopus with an orange-honey sauce, fried calamari with homemade marinara dip, and a fresh shaved fennel salad.

We even ate at the table and on our best dinnerware!

For the octopus, I poach it in a mixture of wine, water, garlic and black peppercorns for 45 minutes. That seems to be about right for a 1 pound octopus. When it is cooled some I cut off the tentacles and toss them with some melted bacon fat. They then go on the grill for a few minutes to get some char. Finally, into a sauce pan with some of the orange sauce, toss a bit, then into the oven for a few minutes while I cook the squid.

The orange-honey sauce is inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe. He uses tangerines, which we can't find. So, I simmer some orange juice and honey until it is syrupy. Put that in a small food processor with some Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar. (An anchovy would be great here, but I didn't have any). I added a squirt of siracha sauce. Then blend this together while adding some canola oil to create an emulsified sauce. Yum.

The octopus is served on top of the sauce with some chopped oregano and crushed pink peppercorns.

The squid is easy. Just cut it into rings about 1/2" wide. We use the tentacles too. Dredge them in a mixuture of flour, cornmeal, salt and a dash of cayenne. Fry at 350° until they start to brown, about 1 minute. Serve with a homemade or bottled marinara sauce for dipping.

The fennel salad was just shaved fennel, olive oil, lemon juice, grated parmesan and seasoning.

Lynne doesn't want to do this again soon. Too much clean-up!