Pintxo De Pulpo A La Gallega Food

PULPO A LA GALLEGA

Steps:

• The day before, remove the octopus from the freezer and allow it to defrost in the fridge. Before cooking, it is important to clear the head, remove the eyes and mouth and wash the octopus well.
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil with a pinch of salt, when the water begins to boil you need to grab the octopus from the head and 'scare it' by dipping it in the water 3 times and pulling it out. This makes the octopus stiffen, so the skin does not fall during the cooking process and makes the tips of the tentacles curl. The tentacles are preferred over the head, which sometimes is discarded. Cook your octopus between 20 and 25 minutes on a medium heat. Make sure the octopus is covered with water throughout the cooking. Towards the end of the cooking process, you can check if the octopus is ready by piercing the thicker tentacles with a wooden skewer to check if they are tender enough. Octopus should be al dente, just like pasta. You should feel the same resistance as a cooked potato. Once the cooking time is complete, allow the octopus to rest in the cooking liquid for a few minutes and drain onto a serving platter.
• Whilst you cooking the octopus, add the potatoes and cook until soft. Allow them to cool down slightly.
• To serve the dish, cut the octopus tentacles and potatoes into ½ an inch-thick slices. Pulpo a la gallega is traditionally served in a wooden plate with a base of sliced potatoes, topped with slices of octopus. Season with sea salt, smoked paprika and a good drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil.

PULPO A LA GALLEGA

Steps:

• Fill a large soup pot with water, enough to submerge the octopus.
• Cut onion in half and add to water, along with the bay leaves.
• Some will say that also adding a wine cork (yes a wine cork) will ensure a tender octopus.
• You are within your rights to use your culinary judgement on that particular point.
• hehe Bring the water to boiling, and submerge the octopus 3 or 4 times, to scald it basically.
• Bring the water back to a boil and place the octopus in the water.
• This time we will leave it in there.
• Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook the octopus 20 minutes-- a larger octopus will require longer cooking time-- up to 45 minutes.
• Remove from water, and slice diagonally into rounds (ovals really).
• The slices should be about 1/2" thick.
• Presentation: Arrange potato rounds on a plate or wooden serving tablet and top each with a slice of octopus.
• The potato should be about the same size as the octopus slices, if not, then cut potatoes accordingly.
• Liberally sprinkle paprika and sea salt over all and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• You may wish to garnish with chopped parsley.