Grilled Octopus with Chick Pea Puree and Green Sauce

By dyannucci

holly smith seattle

This anchoiade is thick, almost like a mayonnaise, it is salty, unctuous and completely addictive. I can eat it straight, however more traditionally it is served with crudités (radishes, cherry tomatoes, carrots, hard boiled eggs and heart of celery).

Elizabeth David suggests you serve it on toast as an aperitif: grill one side of the bread in the oven, turn it over, cover with anchoiade and grill until it is just beginning to brown. I can vouch for this … it works particularly well with a soft boiled egg (think anchoiade soldiers in place of the Aussie version with vegemite … a scrape is enough.)

4 whole anchovies preserved in salt, or 16 anchovy fillets preserved in oil
1 small bulb of garlic, peeled
½ teaspoon of capers (rinsed if salted)
½ cup olive oil (or use a combination of olive and vegetable if you find the flavour of olive oil overwhelming)

For whole anchovies in salt: cover with cold water and leave for 10 minutes. One by one, separate the two halves and remove the spine and tail and place in a fresh bowl of water. Leave for another 10 minutes and then empty the water and refill … do this at least 3 times.

For anchovies in oil: place the fillets in a small bowl with half milk and half water, leave for at least15 minutes (leave them a little longer if they are really salty), then drain.

Using the side of your knife, squash the garlic clove and anchovies together until you have a consistent soft paste (you could do this in a mortar and pestle or a food processor, but with such small quantities I find the side of my knife the most effective).

Finely chop the capers and add to the mix (I like to leave them with a little texture).

Place this mixture into a small bowl. Twist a tea-towel lengthways (as if you were planning to whip someone with it) and fashion it into a small crown that will hold your bowl. This will stop the bowl swinging around as you are whisking.

Drop by drop … and I mean drop by drop* … add the olive oil, whisking all the time (normally, for example with a mayonnaise, you would have the aid of an egg yolk to emulsify with the oil, in this scenario you are relying on the anchovy to provide the protein, it is a very delicate task … made much easier in large quantities, but we’re not about that).

As the mix begins to thicken and turn pale you can begin to add the olive oil a bit more liberally, but never much more than a fine stream. Taste it. If the olive oil is too pungent for your taste switch to vegetable oil. You can also add some ground pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice.

*In Provence they make little oil pourers that make this job easier, only dispersing the tiniest amount of oil at a time.

Ingredients

• Serves 4
• 1 each 2-4 lb Octopus fresh or frozen
• 1 cork from bottle of red wine
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• Chickpea Puree
• 15 oz can of Chickpeas well drained
• 1/4 c Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small cloves of garlic peeled
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• Kosher Salt
• Cayenne Pepper powder
• Green Sauce
• 1/2 bunch scallions
• 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
• 4 T salted capers – rinsed well
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• Pure olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Ground cayenne pepper
• Anchoiade
• 16 anchovy fillets
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Freshly ground pepper or red-chile flakes (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Octopus

Fill large pot with water. Add cork and octopus to water. Cover and boil for 2 hours 15 minutes for fresh and 2 hours 45 minutes for frozen. Check for doneness where the tentacles meet. Should be very tender. Drain and cool. Trim off “legs” and any extra slimy film. Lightly marinate in Anchoilade. (recipe to follow). Using extra virgin olive oil, grill with additional inch of Kosher Salt, until warmed through and a slightly “crunchy” crust forms. Serve on Chick Pea Puree (recipe follows) and add a dollop of Green Sauce (recipe follows).
** drizzle of smoked bone marrow over top to finish.

Chickpea Puree


In food processor, pulse garlic cloves until chopped finely. Add ½ can of chickpeas. Pulse again. Continue until all chickpeas are incorporated. With processor on, drizzle in olive oil until a smooth paste is formed. Add lemon juice and ½ TBS salt and pinch of cayenne powder. Taste and re season as necessary. Mixture should have a balance of all flavors.

Green Sauce
In food processor chop scallions and parsley until well mixed. Add capers. Blend. Add lemon juice and salt. Blend. While processor is running, drizzle in olive oil, just enough until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Anchoiade


1.Coarsely chop anchovies; combine with garlic and oil in a small skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until anchovies melt, stirring while cooking to crush anchovies into a paste.

2.Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, parsley, and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.