At last we’ve got our hands on The Modern Italian Cook by Joe Trivelli and what a treat it is! Our local fish shop often has baby octopus on the counter but you can also buy it frozen. This was Jono’s pick for his birthday dinner and he wasn’t disappointed.
Wine Suggestion: as befits a birthday dinner, it was Champagne to match and tonight we drank the Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV which plays a delightful balance of delicacy, elegance, depth and bags of character. Both the dish and Champagne a wonderful treat.
Baby Octopus & Peas (Polipetti e Piselli) – serves 4
- 1 kg frozen baby octopuses, defrosted (or fresh if you can find them)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 dried chillies
- 50g small black olives, pitted
- 300g shelled peas (we used defrosted frozen peas)
- 600g new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
- 175ml dry wine – red or white
Rinse the octopuses under the tap then transfer to a heavy-based casserole dish or pan. Coat with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves and chillies, cover with some baking paper and place over a high heat with the lid on.
When everything is hot and cooking, turn the heat down and continue to cook the octopuses for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and add the olives, peas, potatoes and wine. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the peas and octopuses are soft, about 20 minutes more.
(Original recipe from The Modern Italian Cook by Joe Trivelli, Seven Dials, 2018.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 