EVERYTHING EATEN

Marinella lives in Sardinia. She comes to Corzano e Paterno every spring to help with the holiday cottages on the farm and your stay is not complete without her octopus salad.

 

The Corzano e Paterno villas are available all summer long, if you're interested take a look. While you're there you can visit the dairy, eat unimaginable amounts of the cheese they produce and taste their delicious wine. If you mention my name when booking I might get brownie points (hmmm... and maybe some cheese?) from the Gelpke family.

 

An octopus is a terrifying thing to behold in the raw flesh.

 

If your octopus is fresh it should be frozen first to tenderise the meat. Put it in the freezer the day before, then leave it in the fridge overnight to thaw. Some fishmongers sell frozen or thawed octopus which is cheaper and a little less work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serves four as a main course, or up to eight as a starter.

 

Ingredients

 

1kg octopus, frozen then thawed

plenty of salt

1 fat clove garlic, crushed

a handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped

juice of half a lemon

1½ tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

75g pitted black olives

3-4 tender stalks of celery, depending on their size

4 medium tomatoes

sea salt and pepper

 

What to do

 

Fill a large pan with water and bring it to the boil. Salt it heavily so it tastes like seawater, then add the octopus, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

 

Remove the octopus and allow it to cool enough to handle. Cut the whole thing into large chunks the size of a good mouthful. You can use every part except the tough beak. Dress the octupus while it's still warm with the garlic, parsley, lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. Leave aside to marinate.

 

While the octopus cools, put the black olives into a new bowl. Cut the celery into pieces roughly the same size as the olives. Slice the tomatoes in half, use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds, then chop them into pieces a similar size to the celery. Add everything to the bowl with olives and toss together with salt and pepper.

 

When the octopus is cool add the vegetables, not before as they will cook and become mushy. Mix everything together one last time and you're done.

 

Serve with plenty of warm crusty bread to mop up the juices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite photo is of Rupert, who was very fond of the octopus.