My secret favorite way to cook octopus: 1.Cover the bottom of a large pot with one layer of whole black peppercorns. Pour enough red wine vinegar over the peppercorns to just cover them. Put one large cleaned and tenderized octopus on top of the peppercorns and vinegar and toss in a red wine cork and cover tightly and simmer until the octopus is tender. Remove and refrigerate . The next day grill the octopus .
Just curious, but where did you catch "Jiro"? It had a brief run at an art theater near me but I was out of town for practically all of it. I've been looking for it on Sundance and IFC. This has been a remarkable year for documentary films about food and kitchens. The New York Times just reviewed the French film, "Step up to the Plate". And in between there was "El Bulli".
We just watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi last night. His trick is that while he used to massage the octopus for 30 minutes, now he advocates 45. He noted that it was quite the job for his apprentices!
Somewhat folklorish but very Mediterranean so maybe try it anyway. Remove the head, the beak and the ink sack. Bring a pot of water to a simmer and toss in a couple of wine corks. You'll need an hour or more depending on how big your cephalopod is. Using tongs pull it completely out of the water and after a few seconds plunge it back in. Do this two to three times during simmer. After that you can grill it.
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Here is a well-regarded recipe http://food52.com/recipes/611_mediterranean_octopus_salad