Le Grand Aioli

By ltrodrigu

An extravagant yet rustic mélange of seafood, chicken, vegetables, eggs and, of course, aioli, that thrills both the eye and the palate.

Ingredients

• For Octopus Ragout:
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, parboiled in salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes
• 12 small potatoes, boiled
• 12 small artichokes, trimmed and boiled in salted water, cut in half vertically, chokes removed
• 12 medium beets, baked and quartered
• 12 small sweet potatoes, baked
• 16 small peeled carrots, raw or parboiled in salted water until al dente, about 12 minutes
• 2 bulbs of fresh fennel, trimmed and cut vertically into eighths
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
• 1 rotisserie chicken, cut into 12 pieces
• 2 pounds poached, grilled or roasted cod, grouper or halibut fillet (other white fish—such as bass, swordfish or hake—may be substituted)
• 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 3 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 pounds octopus, preferably small ones, cleaned but unskinned, cut into bite-size pieces (see note)
• 1 large bay leaf
• 9 tablespoons cognac or marc de Provence
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• For Steamed Mussels with shallots & olive oil:
• 1/2 cup peeled and minced shallots
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• For food processor or blender Aioli Sauce*:
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more, to taste
• 5-20 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
• 2-2 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• all ingredients must be at room temperature

Details

Servings 12
Adapted from online.wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

For Le Grand Aioli:
Arrange vegetables, eggs, chicken, fish and octopus attractively on large platters. Serve mussels from a serving bowl and place some of the cooking liquid in small bowls to be sipped as a soup or to dip the bread into.

Place aioli in bowls or mortars on the table or in the center of each platter.

For Aioli Sauce:
Process eggs, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor or blender until combined.

With the motor running, add oil, a few drops at a time. After about 1/3 of oil has been added, add remaining oil in a very slow steady stream.

Add salt and lemon juice, to taste.

Add oil until desired consistency is reached. Sauce should be almost solid. Add more salt to taste and refrigerate until needed. The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance, covered and refrigerated. Serve it or in a small bowl.

Notes: If the sauce fails to emulsify, place another room-temperature egg yolk in a clean bowl and very gradually whisk the curdled mixture into it. For those averse to eating raw eggs, you can make an eggless aioli by crushing peeled garlic and one boiled peeled potato in a mortar. When the mixture becomes a paste, very slowly add oil while constantly whisking. Then add lemon juice, salt and pepper, to taste.

For Octopus Ragout:
In a large frying pan, warm 5 tablespoons oil with onions and garlic. Stirring frequently, cook over low heat until light golden, about 10 minutes.

Turn heat to high and add tomatoes and salt and pepper, to taste. Saute, tossing often, until tomato liquid has evaporated, 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy saute pan, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add octopus, bay leaf and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir frequently until liquid thrown off by octopus has come to a full boil.

Remove from heat and add cognac. Ignite it. Stir until the flames die down.

Bring white wine to a boil in a small saucepan and add it to the octopus. Warm stew over medium heat and boil until reduced by one third, about 10 minutes. Add tomato mixture.

Bring back to a boil and then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Cook uncovered and stir often until octopus is very tender but still resilient, about 50 minutes. Adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley and serve. (Can be served at room temperature.)

Note: To ensure optimum tenderness, octopus should be frozen for at least 24 hours before using and then defrosted in the refrigerator. Once thawed, cut bodies, heads and tentacles into bite-size pieces.

For Steamed Mussels With Shallots and Olive Oil:
Put shallot, oil and water in a stockpot or large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil; boil rapidly for 1 minute.

Add mussels and cover pot. Cook until mussels open, 5-10 minutes. Taste broth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle cooking liquid into small bowls for dipping. Transfer mussels to a serving bowl and serve hot, warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with parsley.