Paul the Octopus is dead

Today I decided to kill the know-it-all octopus that some have come to rely on when choosing their World Cup wagers. Paul has chosen Spain over the Dutch so it is only fair that I prepare him in a Spanish style. {It was a bit of a trek for him to Miami from Germany so I just chose one of his relatives instead}

Octopus can be pretty tough to eat, one trick that I've learnt to tenderize it is to throw it in the washing machine on the spin cycle or in a spin dryer for 10 minutes. Honestly this really works, obviously you don't want any clothes in there at the time and do remember to wash it out afterwards otherwise you may be followed by stray cats or perverts, although some of you may like that.

After the octopus has been battered about in the washing mashine you will need to cook it in a court boullion.

HOW TO COOK OCTOPUS

Put Paul in a large pot and cover with cold water, add a couple of bay leaves, a clove of garlic, a few stalks of celery, some black peppercorns and a couple of lemons cut in half. Some cooks add some white wine to this but I prefer to drink the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Now we can make the dish.

INGREDIENTS

5oz Octopus, cooked and cut on a biase, about 1/4 " thick {bite size pieces}

2oz Fingerling Potatoes, cooked and cut the same as the Octopus

3 Tbs Shallot-Sherry vinaigrette {hold on, the recipe is coming}

2 Tbs grated Tomatoes

Micro greens

S&P

Shallot-Sherry vinaigrette

1 Tbs Sherry Vinaiger

1 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 1/2 Tbs Canola Oil

1 Tbs Shallots {fine dice}

Mix everything together and season to taste, add some fine diced red and green peppers to it for a splash of color.

METHOD

Peel the tomatoes by scoring them at the top, remove the core at the base and submerge in hot water for 30 seconds, place in an ice bath and leave to cool. When cool grate them with a cheese grater and add some olive oil to cover and season.

Mix the Octopus and Potatoes with the Vinaigrette.

Put a ring mold in the base of the plate or bowl and spoon the grated tomato around it.

Place the octopus and Potato mixture in the mould. Garnish with micro greens.

See-Easy, peasy. lemon squeezy.