In cucina with Letitia Clark - Grilled Octopus and Lemon Potato Purée

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POLPO GRIGLIATO CON PURÉ DI PATATE AL LIMONE

Octopus is delicious twice-cooked. First boiled and then grilled, its sweet meatiness absorbs chargrilled flavour beautifully. Married with this sharp and silky potato purée, it makes a delicious and unusual combination. One of Luca’s signature recipes. When buying octopus, it is best to buy it frozen and then defrost it ready for cooking. Frozen octopus is ready to cook, and has already been tenderised, whilst fresh octopus needs a good bashing with a mallet to make it tender. The latter does, however, have its therapeutic qualities. Both the purée and the octopus can be cooked in advance and reheated at the last moment.

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SERVES 6

For the lemon potato purée:
600 g (1 lb 5 oz) waxy yellow potatoes
130 ml (4½ fl oz) best-quality extra virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
sea salt

For the octopus:
2 celery sticks, cut in half
1 onion, peeled
2 strips of lemon zest
2 dried red chillies
A handful of parsley stalks
1 medium-sized octopus

To serve:
dried red chillies
handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

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Method:
First, prepare the octopus, or ask your fishmonger to do this for you. This can be done a day or two in advance if you like. Rinse it well under cold water, making sure any sand still stuck in the tentacles is removed. Cut away the eyes from the head, and wipe away anything from inside the hood of the head too. Cut out the beak from the base of the tentacle – there is a small round ball where the mouth parts are.

Now place the octopus in a large saucepan with the other ingredients and fill the saucepan with cold water. The octopus must be completely submerged. Bring the whole lot to the boil and then turn down to a simmer.

Cook, half covered, for 1 hour or more, until the octopus is tender. Poke a tentacle with a sharp knife; if it sinks in easily, the octopus is cooked. Remove it from its crimson bath and leave it to cool.

Now make your potato purée. Peel, halve and boil your potatoes in plenty of salted water until completely soft. Drain them and then blitz them into a purée using a stick blender or any other blender. They will look very gluey. Add the oil, lemon zest and juice and stir to combine. Add 4 tablespoons water and stir gently. They should no longer be gluey. Now you should have a smooth purée. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. It should be sharp and punchy from the oil and lemon.

Place a griddle pan on the heat or turn on your grill. Slice the tentacles off the octopus and place them in the hot griddle pan, or under the grill (broiler). Grill (broil) for a few moments on each side, then season with olive oil, salt, and some dried chilli. Place them on a dish of your warmed purée and serve, drizzled with extra oil and sprinkled with chilli and parsley.

Credit: Bitter Honey by Letitia Clark (Hardie Grant, Hardback & eBook) Photography ©Matt Russell