One of the greatest advantages of living by the Sea is to know your fish and learn some eccentric wonderful, tasty recipes. Today’s advice is one of my personal favourites and one than I systematically prepare to my family at home. It is a wonderful mixture of textures, flavours and smells. I am sure that you will appreciate it too. Just be careful with the cooking process of the Octopus as it tends to stay hard. A small personal tip is to cook it with a large onion and at some stage of the boiling take it out and slice it in smaller pieces (it helps a lot). You will certainly impress both your guest and family with this Portuguese Recipe. I totally recommend it with a Chilled Dry White Wine (maybe a Muller Thurgau).
Hope that you will enjoy it.
Here's the shopping list:
1 large Octopus
1kg. medium potatoes
q.b. Olive oil
q.b. “Massa de Pimentao” find it in a Portuguese Delicatessen otherwise use Red Paprika;
q.b. Fresh parsley
q.b. Piri-Piri sauce (hot sauce)
1 large onion
1 Garlic clove
Step 1) Boil the Octupus in a large pan, together with one onion and q.b. sea salt ( + - 1 h)
Step 2) Around the 40m, take the octopus out and slice it in smaller pieces, then continue boiling;
Step 3) Prepare in a glass bowl, a mixture of olive oil, chopped garlic, piri-piri sauce, chopped garlic, chopped parsley and “Massa de Pimentao” (if you cannot find it use Red Paprika);
Step 4) Add the slice cooked octopus in this sauce and leave it to marinate in the fridge in order to gain flavour;
Step 5) Boil the potatoes (do not cook them thoroughly);
Step 6) Take the potatoes out, cool them in cold water for a bit, than with a fist close smash them a bit, attention do not destroy then, it is just a single blow in order to make some cracks in the potato;
Step 7) Add some garlic in the cracks of the potatoes, place them in a baking tray, add some q.b. olive oil over the potatoes;
Step 7) Pre-heat oven to 200°C/375°F and put the tray to bake;
Step 8) Control the cooking process as the potatoes will be ready when it gains a crispy golden colour;
Step 9) When the potatoes are almost done, take the tray out and over the potatoes pour all the contents of the Octopus marinate;
Step 10) Leave it in the oven till the Octopus will gain a crusty consistency;
Step 11) Prepare a single large plate with some potatoes and Octopus pieces (similar to the picture);
Bon Apetit,
Chef Gourmet Du Art
