2019-08-01_Country_Homes_&_Interiors.

GrilledOctOpuswith

squidinklentils

Wheneveryouaregoingtogrill,barbecueorfryan

octopus,it alwaysstartswitha slowbraisetotenderize

it.Cookingit ona barbecueiswonderful.Theraw

heatofhotcoalscombinedwiththecharcoalsmokiness

isdivine,buta super-hotgrill makes a good

alternative,asused here.

ServeS 8–12

1 octopus,about 2kg,

prepared

2 driedbayleaves

3 garliccloves

1 lemon

½tspsumac

A generouspinch

offinelychoppedfresh

flat-leaf parsley

200gpre-cooked

Puylentils

½tspsquidink

½redonion,thinlysliced

1 freshredchilli,deseeded

andfinelysliced

Saltandfreshlyground

blackpepper

Olive oil, for drizzling

1 Placethepreparedoctopusina largepotwitha

fewgenerouspinchesofsalt,thebayleavesand

2 ofthegarliccloves.Pouroverenoughcoldwater

tocoverfully.Bringtoa simmerandcookgentlyfor

about45min,untilyoucanpiercethefleshwitha

knifewithlittleresistance.Don’tovercookit,asthe

suckersonthetentacleswillstarttocomeoff.

Octopushasa habitoffloating,soeitherplacea lid

onthepotorplacea smallsaucerontop of the

octopustohelpkeepit submerged.

2 Putthecookedoctopusintoa bowlwitha few

glugsofoliveoiltostopit sticking.Peela fewstrips

ofrindfromthelemonandadd to the bowl. Set this

asideuntilreadytocook.

3 Meanwhile,mashthelastgarlicclovetoa pulp

witha littlesalt.Whiskwitha fewglugsofolive

oilandsqueezeinabouthalftheamountof

lemonjuicetooil.Addthesumac and finely

choppedparsleyandmix.

4 MixthePuylentilswiththesquidinkandseason

witha littlepepper.Whenyouarereadytogrill

theoctopus,separatethetentacleswitha sharp

knifeandslicethehoodintofourpieces.Getthe

grillashotaspossible.Shakeofftheexcessolive

oilfromtheoctopus,seasonwitha pinchofsalt,

thengrillit closetotheheatfora fewminutes

untilit crispsup.Turnthepiecesoverand

chartheotherside.Removeandbrush over

thegarlic-lemon-sumacdressing.

5 SprinklethesquidinkPuylentilsovera large

platter,distributetheslicedredonionamongst

thelentils,thenrandomlyplacetheoctopus

overthetop.Tasteforseasoning and finish

with a little sliced red chilli.

RecipestakenfromOrexi!

byTheoMichaels(£16.99,

RylandPeters& Small),with

photography by Mowie Kay

saltedseaBreamwith

lemOnGrassandthyme

Buythefreshestseabreamyoucansource,preferably

froma sun-wizenedGreekfishermanstandingon

theedgeofhisboatinhisrippedshortsandsmoking

a cigarette.Failingthat,myadviceistake the time

togettoknow your local fishmonger.

ServeS 4

4 wholeseabream,gutted

(askyourfishmonger

todothis)

A handfuloffresh

thymesprigs

4 lemongrassstalks

100gseasaltflakes

Oliveoil,foroiling

and drizzling

FORTHEDRESSING

1 stalklemongrass

A fewdropsoffreshly

squeezedlemonjuice

1 garlicclove,crushed

A handfuloffreshly

choppedflat-leafparsley

A pinchofdried chilli

(optional)

Olive oil, as required

1 Cuttwodiagonalslitsinthefleshofeachfishon

oneside.Pusha coupleofsprigsofthymeinto

eachslit,thenrepeatontheotherside.Pusha

lemongrassstalkthroughthemouthofthefish,so

itgoesallthewaythroughintothecavityofthe

fish,thenfilleachfishwiththeremainingthyme.

2 Lightlyoileachfishandsprinklehalfthesaltover

onesideofthefish,dothesamefortheotherside.

You’renotgoingtobeeating the salt, so add more

iftheyarenotwellcoated.

3 Placethepreparedfishontothepreheated

barbecue/outdoorgrilloverdirectmediumheatfor

about5-6min,oruntilthefishis charred.Usea fish

knifeorspatulatoturnthefishover– turnthemtop-

sidedown,sothestuffingdoesn’tfallout.Cookfor

another5-6minuntilcookedthrough.Removethe

fishandplaceontoa largechoppingboard.

4 Tomakethedressing,peeloffa fewleaves

fromthelemongrassstick,thenfinelychopthe

centre.Adda smallsqueezeoflemonjuice,the

garlic,a littleoliveoilandenoughfinelychopped

parsleytocreatea thickdressing(apinchof

chilliflakeswouldn’tgoamisshere either).

Serve the fish with the dressing.

GOOd TimeS, GOOd FOOd