Ingredients
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1.5 kilograms baby octopus
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6 clove garlic
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1 bunch parsleyflat leaf; continental
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1 pear
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arugula leavesaka: rocket, enough for 4 people
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1 French baguette
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White Wine
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extra virgin olive oil
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balsamic vinegar
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sea salt flakes
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pepper grinder
Directions
It doesn’t get much easier than this, pop it all in a pot turn the heat down low, crack a beer and join your friends by the pool. In a couple of hours you’ll be wowing them all with your abilities in the kitchen, even though you were barely there.
Octopus
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut each in half lengthwise top to bottom.
- Rinse the octopus and drain very well.
- Pick the leaves of parsley and chop roughly.
- Place a med-large thick based pot on med-high heat and add olive oil until the base is covered liberally.
- Cook the garlic until the edges just start to go brown, turn the heat right up, add the octopus, cracked pepper and stir around. (Octopus can be salty when cooked so do not add any salt at this stage).
- Once octopus is heated through and it is cooking away noisily (about 2 minutes), add a good splash of white wine (octopus should be half covered in liquid), reduce the heat to low, add a handful of parsley, stir and cover.
- Stir octopus every 20 minutes to ensuring even cooking.
Salad
- Cut the sides of the pear off cutting around the core and then slice those lengthwise.
- Place the slices of pear in a little lemon juice and olive oil.
- Once the octopus is cooked youÃll toss the pear slices with the roquette leaves and a little balsamic and extra virgin.
- After having cooked for about 1 hr take one octopus and taste for tenderness (should be very tender, it could need up to another half an hour depending on the octopus), also check for seasoning at this point.
- Once desired tenderness has been reached strain the octopus, saving the cooking broth.
- Toss the octopus in a fresh bowl with some fresh parsley, lemon juice, a whisper of olive oil and a touch of the cooking broth.
- Serve communally from the bowl, or plate up next to roquette and pear salad.
- A bit of crusty French bread and a nice Sauvignon Blanc should be the only other things you need.
