The seasonal ingredient you should be cooking with this August is celery. Surprising, I know, as celery is a long-season crop, but it's in its peak this month. Whether it's a rib submerged in a classic "Beer Mary" on my porch overlooking Lake Michigan's sweet serenity, or whirled in a cold, creamy soup for my family during breaks from the water, celery is incorporated daily in our meals throughout the month.

The art of perfect summer food pairing is found, I have realized, when matching celery with octopus. The first few bites of crisp, salty celery ribs and sweet celery heart mixed with tender octopus, lightly dressed in vinegar and olive oil, opened my culinary senses as a chef years ago. Today, with impressive presentation all the way from Baffo in Chicago to Babbo in New York City and at all of our restaurants in between, octopus is always a crowd pleaser on the menu. Regardless, most home cooks who order octopus in our restaurants find the seafood too daunting to attempt in their own kitchens.

Try not to let a few legs and a head stop you from reigning as king of the dinner party with this perfect summer salad. It's easier than you think, and this dish will single handedly help you conquer your fears of cooking with octopus. This recipe comes from "Molto Gusto" (Ecco 2010). The octopus will cook down rather considerably, so keep in mind that a three pounder will serve six generously as a first course.

Beginners should look for frozen octopus in your grocery store or buy fresh, already prepared-to-cook octopus from the local fishmonger. This means that your fishmonger already removed the sac, beak and eyes for you. Don't feel discouraged if you go the frozen route; sometimes frozen actually comes out more tender than fresh because the thawing process commences tenederizing. No matter the route you choose, adding a wine cork to the braising liquid while cooking will also help tenderize the octopus.

After poaching, let the octopus cool completely while still in the liquid to keep tender and flavorful. Remove the skin simply by rubbing it with a paper towel. You will need to use a knife to remove the suckers. If they fall off on their own, you have cooked the octopus too long. Even still, just pay more mind to keeping the tentacles intact while cutting into one-inch pieces.

The definition of august is "inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur." I think you'll find that octopus and celery antipasto reigns true of exactly that. And please don't even fathom tossing away the celery leaves. The leaves give pasta, whole grains and salad a crisp, celery-scented pick-me-up.

OCTOPUS & CELERY

Serves 6

1 3-pound octopus (frozen is fine), sac beak, and eyes removed (have the fishmonger do this)

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

2 small red onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1 bay leaf, preferably fresh

1 sprig each fresh Italian parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

1 celery heart with tender leaves, base cut off, fibrous strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and thinly sliced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Maldon or other flaky sea salt

Combine the octopus, wine, onions, carrots, celery ribs, herbs and a wine cork, if you have one (the cork helps tenderize the octopus), in a large pot, add enough water to cover the octopus, and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer gently until the thickest part of the octopus is tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the broth.

Drain the octopus (discard the vegetables and cork). Cut off the tentacles and strip the skin and suckers from the tentacles (the skin will come off easily once the octopus is cooked). Cut the head and tentacles into 1-inch pieces.

Combine the octopus, sliced celery heart, vinegar and oil in a large bowl, mixing well. Season well with salt and serve, or let stand for 1 hour to bring out the flavors.

(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind twenty-five restaurants including Eataly, Del Posto, and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.)