Posted by Darby on April 8, 2009 under Albarino, Main, Tapas | 
Grilled Octopus requires some preparation, but the final cooking is fairly quick.
Stephanie Alexander, in her COOK’S COMPANION, recommends tenderising octopus with a meat mallet until the flesh loses its bounciness.
Preparation
Cut the tentacles away from the body. If the head is not too large, say more than 20cm in diameter you can use it as well. Turn it inside out and remove the beak and internal organs. Remove the suckers from the tentacles and skin them under running water. If you are using the head score it well or cut into strips similar in size to the tentacles.
Marinate the octopus for a few hours or preferably overnight in olive oil along with some garlic, dried oregano and bay leaves.
To cook
To cook drain off the olive oil and grill for a few minutes on a hot barbeque or under your kitchen grill. Don’t bother about a dipping sauce, just serve with lemon or lime wedges.
Grilled octopus can be served as a tapas dish (just add toothpicks) as part of a seafood platter, or as a dish in its own right.
Wine Suggestion
A crisp aromatic white wine can be served with octopus. Why not try a crisp dry Albarino wine
Posted by Darby on April 3, 2009 under Appetisers, Arneis, Tapas |
Marinated Mushrooms Recipe
These mushrooms can be served as a first course on their own but are better as part of an antipasto platter. The drained mushrooms can also be tossed through a green salad. They need at least a few hours to marinate, but are best after a day or two in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Serves 2 as entree, 4-6 as part of a platter
- 250g small button mushrooms
- Half cup of good olive oil
- Juice of a lemon
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon or parsley are great)
- 2 cloves garlic
- A couple of peppercorns or other spices
Method
Heat oil gently and infuse with the garlic. Meanwhile halve or quarter the mushrooms according to size. If they are small and you are doing them a day ahead you can leave them whole.
Remove oil from heat and add the mushrooms. Mix well and allow to cool. Add lemon juice, herbs, and spices. Allow to marinate in a glass bowl, preferably for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.
You can store these for up to a week in a glass jar in the fridge. In this case don’t put the fresh herbs in until you are ready to serve the mushrooms.
Wine suggestion
I love a crisp Arneis wine with antipasto. In this food pairing the wine often has enough oomph to go with the varied flavours from the various ingredients.
Posted by Darby on under Tapas, Tempranillo |
My friend Imma is a Tapas freak. She runs the Tapas recipes website which is full of authentic recipes for the most delicous little Spanish snacks.
Imma says In Bilbao, these stuffed mussels are called Tigres because of their fieriness. I fondly remember the crowded little bars in the old part of Bilbao, where orders of tigres would emerge by the dozens from the tiny kitchens. We devoured these mussels and everyone dropped the empty shells right onto the floor, where periodically they would be raked up. This tapa is not as popular today in the bars as it once was, but I like it so much that I make it whenever I find fresh mussels.
* Servings: Makes 18 pieces
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 dozen mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
* 3 tablespoon water
* 2 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced onion
* 2 tablespoon flour
* 3 tablespoon white wine
* 1/2 cup mussel liquid
* 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
* 4 tablespoon fine dry breadcrumbs
* Olive oil for frying
Preparation
Steam open the mussels. Put them in a deep pan with the water. Cover the pan and put over a high heat, shaking the pan, until the shells open. Remove from heat and discard any mussels that do not open.
Mussels can also be opened in a microwave. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl, partially covered, and microwave at full power for one minute. Stir and microwave one minute more. Remove any mussels that have opened and microwave one minute more. Again remove open ones. Repeat twice more. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the empty half shells. Loosen the mussel meat from the bottom shell and arrange the mussels in their shells on a tray in a single layer. Strain the mussel liquid and reserve it.
Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and sauté the minced onion until it is softened, without letting it brown. Stir in the flour, cook for a minute, stirring, then whisk in the wine and the mussel liquid. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Put a spoonful of this white sauce onto each mussel and smooth it level with the top of the shell.
Refrigerate until the sauce is firmly set, at least one hour. Place the beaten egg in one dish and the bread crumbs in another. Dip the mussels, open face down, first into egg, then bread crumbs. Arrange them on the tray in a single layer. (The mussels can be prepared up to this point, then frozen. Freeze them in one layer, then pack them carefully in a freezer bag or plastic container. Let them thaw at least one hour before continuing with the preparation.)
To fry the mussels, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan. Fry them in two or three batches, breaded side down, until golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.
Food Pairing with Mussels
These mussels would be an ideal dish to serve with a bottle of Albarino, or if they are part of a larger platter of tapas perhaps with a bottle of Tempranillo
If you enjoy these mussels you can find more Tapas recipes on Imma’s Tapas site
