18 May 2012

Tagine Octopus wth Courgette


Spanish seafood tapas are extremely popular in the summer months and with octopus being fairly cheap it is a firm and delicious favourite which is easily cooked. A whole octopus may seem like a challenge but usually the octopus or ‘pulpo’ is ready cooked making it very easy to work with. For this simple tapas recipe you will need half a medium octopus and a tagine  - the magic cooking pot which retains flavours and is suitable for a multitude of cooking tasks. Terracotta tagines are also suitable for the barbeque or grill which is how this recipe has been cooked. Great flavours, easy cooking!

You will need: (5 – 6 tapas servings)

Half a cooked octopus
1 Courgette
10 Garlic cloves
500ml Olive oil

Equipment: 24cm Tagine


Method:

1.    Prepare the octopus by removing the beak and chopping into bite sized pieces (leave the thin ends of the tentacles quite long for presentation. You can also simmer the octopus for 30 minutes to make it more tender even of pre cooked.

2.    Peel and dice the garlic cloves.

3.    Add a splash of olive oil to the tagine and fry off the garlic before adding the rest of the olive oil

4.    Slice the courgette and add to the oil with the octopus.

5.    Cook over the grill for 10 – 12 minutes giving a quick stir half way through.

6.    Serve in tapas bowls or cazuelas with cocktail sticks for perfect seafood tapas.

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