Thursday 27 February 2014

Slow Cooked Octopus at Andrew Edmunds

I have only written the title and already must own up to a mistruth.  I wasn't actually eating at Andrew Edmunds but was meeting a colleague for lunch in The Academy Club above the restaurant.  The food however, comes from the same kitchen so it's a fair assumption that the restaurant version is the same.

I chose the Slow Cooked Octopus with Tomatoes, Choritzo, Capers and Olives, starter size, as a light lunch with a plate of French bread to soak up the delicious juices.  I have cooked and eaten octopus many times and the secret of success for this flavoursome dish is the method of tenderising the meat. When I owned The Good Fish Shop, one of my customers who is Spanish, telephoned his mum (in Spain) for advice on tenderising octopus.  I was expecting a lot of bashing, stretching and sun-drying to be offered but no, her simple reply was 'freeze it for 24 hours'.  Andrew offered the same recommendation with one important addition 'thaw it out very slowly' i.e. 24 hours in the 'fridge.  The result was superb - generous portions of octopus (I'm sure the slow cooking helped too) in a rich hearty sauce with juicy pieces of chorizo and aromatic dark olives. I look forward to visiting Andrew Edmunds (the restaurant) for a full meal in the near future.


Square Meal

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