Braised octopus with stewed peppers in red wine
Overview
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
1 hr 40 mins
Serves
4 as a starter
Ingredients
1 fresh or frozen and defrosted octopus (around 2kg)
For the stewed peppers
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 red Romano peppers, chopped
1 tsp paprika
100ml red wine
leaves from a small bunch fresh oregano, marjoram or thyme, finely chopped
Method
Step
Place 1 fresh or frozen and defrosted octopus in a heavy-based saucepan that has a lid, over a medium-high heat. Don't add any liquid.
Step
Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down, pop on the lid and cook over a low heat for about 35 minutes per kilo, turning the octopus a few times to make sure it cooks all over and doesn't stick.
Step
Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Step
Meanwhile, in a large lidded pan gently cook 1 chopped red onion and 2 sliced garlic cloves in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until they begin to soften but not colour.
Step
Stir through 2 chopped red Romano peppers and 1 tsp paprika. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Step
Add the finely chopped leaves from a small bunch of oregano, marjoram or thyme, along with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
Step
Season and continue cooking gently with a lid on for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the peppers and onion are soft.
Step
Remove the octopus from its pan and place on a board. With a sharp knife, remove the tentacles where they meet the body. You will only need four tentacles for this dish so you can freeze the remaining ones along with the body to use for another dish (it's delicious shredded into pasta, risotto or salad).
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Toss the courgette with the lemon zest, garlic, chilli flakes, olive oil and a pinch of salt. 4 Remove the pastry from the oven and use a spoon to gently press down the middle where it has puffed up. Spread the goat's cheese mix over the centre then arrange the courgette slices over the top. Spoon any leftover oil from the courgette over the top, then put back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until it turns golden. 5 Scatter over the chopped pistachios, drizzle with honey, then serve. ANCHOVY, ONION AND TOMATO TART This tart has all the classic flavours of a pissaladière niçoise, except with the addition of tomatoes. 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Season with a generous pinch of salt. 3 Unroll the puff pastry sheet and cut it in half lengthways so you have two long strips. Using your hands, spread half the lamb mix in a cylinder shape along the middle of one of the pastry strips. Brush the edge closest to you with the beaten egg, then lift the other pastry edge over the meat to meet the egg-moistened edge, pressing a fork along the full length to seal the two. Repeat with the remaining pastry strip. 4 Cut each long sausage into eight mini ones, then gently lift them on to the lined baking tray. Brush all with the beaten egg, then sprinkle over the coriander seeds. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. FISH EN CROUTE A great weeknight dinner that feels fancy yet comes together really quickly. Use good-quality fish and serve with buttered peas on the side. MAKES 2 (to serve 2 or 4, depending how hungry) 100g baby spinach 320g sheet of puff pastry 100g garlic-and-herb soft cheese (for example Boursin) 2 chunky cod fillets, approximately 160g each juice of ½ a lemon a small handful of fresh basil, leaves picked 1 egg, beaten salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2 Add the spinach to a colander in the sink. Boil the kettle then pour the water over the spinach to wilt the leaves. Run them under cold water to cool, then drain and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. 3 Unroll the puff pastry and cut lengthways into two strips, making one 1cm bigger than the other. Cut each strip in half so you have four rectangles. 4 Spread the garlic-and-herb cheese over the centre of the two smaller puff pastry squares, leaving a 2cm border right round the edge. Top each smaller square with the spinach, then the fish. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and add a few basil leaves on top of the fish, then place the slightly larger pieces of pastry on top and press the edges down with a fork to seal. 5 Make three small incisions in the top of both parcels, then transfer to the baking tray. Brush all over with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden. COCONUT AND PASSION FRUIT VOL-AU-VENTS These sweet vol-au-vents are made using simple ingredients and can be adapted to suit whatever fruit is in season. 320g sheet of puff pastry 1 egg, beaten 200g double cream 400g thick Greek yogurt 2 tbsp runny honey 1 tbsp vanilla-bean paste 6 passion fruit 30g toasted coconut chips 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2 To make the vol-au-vents, unroll the puff pastry and cut lengthways into three long strips. Cut each strip into four squares, then, with a knife, score a smaller square inside each square, leaving a ½cm border right round the square – take care not to cut all the way through. Place them on the baking tray, brush with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and puffed-up. 3 Meanwhile, mix the cream and yogurt together, then fold through the honey and vanilla-bean paste. Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out the pulp. 4 Remove the vol-au-vents from the oven and leave to cool completely. With a knife remove the middle piece of pastry from each one and discard, taking care to keep the base intact. 5 Fill the vol-au-vents with the yogurt mix, spooning over some passion-fruit pulp. Finish with the toasted coconut chips and serve. 'NDUJA AND PARMESAN TWISTS A spicy spin on a classic cheese twist. Best enjoyed with a cold beer in the sun! MAKES 12 320g sheet of puff pastry 75g 'nduja (or less if you'd prefer them not too spicy) 30g parmesan, finely grated zest of ½ lemon 1 egg, beaten 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2 Unroll the puff pastry and spread the 'nduja all over. Sprinkle over the parmesan and zest of the lemon, then fold the sheet in half as if you're closing a book. Cut into 12 strips, then twist each one a few times and put on to a lined baking tray. 3 Brush with the beaten egg and transfer to the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden. BERRY TURNOVERS These are so versatile. You can use whatever berries and citrus you have to hand and experiment with adding herbs and spices too, if you like. Frozen or fresh berries work equally well here, so you can enjoy these delicious turnovers all year round. 240g berries of choice 20g caster sugar zest of 1 lemon 320g sheet of puff pastry 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp demerara sugar 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 2 Mix the berries, sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl, mashing slightly with a fork. 3 Unroll the puff pastry and roll it out slightly to make it a bit bigger. Cut the pastry in half lengthways, then cut each strip into three. Divide the berry mixture between the six squares of pastry, spooning into the middle. Brush the pastry around the berries with the beaten egg, then lift one corner and fold over to make a triangle, pressing down along the edges gently to seal. Lift gently on to the baking tray, then repeat to make six pies in total. 4 Make a small incision on the top of each pastry, then brush all over with the egg. Sprinkle the demerara over the top, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving. NOW BUY THE BOOK Our recipes are taken from Puff It Up by Caitlin Macdonald, with photographs by Luke Albert (Quadrille, £16.99). To order a copy for £14.44 until 20 July, go to or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.
