# Octopus twice cooked.



## moikel (Aug 12, 2016)

I did this dish the other week when I  did the side of lamb in the wood fired oven.

I was trying to reproduce  a great dish at my friend Attila's restaurant that is Turkish like him.

As usual I wandered off course a bit
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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I didn't really get much of the process into the last thread because it was all about the lamb so I am going to make it again tonight.

Essentially you boil the cleaned O'pus in water with bits. Fennel tops,bay leaf ,garlic,parsley stalks,bay leaf.No salt.

Take it out ,cool. Cut into your size bits. Drizzle some EVO,cbp, squeeze of lemon.Leave 

Seperate you make the sauce using Ajar relish,onions,paprika,white wine,paprika,garlic,chilli.I will step by step that later.I bought Serbian Ajar ,don't tell Nonna she is Croatian.Shop had Serbian or Macedonian both will get you an argument 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Then its just a matter of char grilling O'pus then putting into the sauce & giving it a stir around.

Attila does his in his seriously big wood fired oven. I can't crank mine up to cook 2 O'pus.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





So I will hit hard & fast on a screaming hot cast iron griddle.

I will get photos up in a bit.Winter the best season for O'pus. 

You can go as big as you want with your O. My guys a kg each .


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## moikel (Aug 12, 2016)

It's spelt Ayvar . Roasted red pepper spread.


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## moikel (Aug 13, 2016)

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Slowly sweating thinly sliced onions with some garlic then add brown sugar & a splash of sherry vinegar.

O is in pot of water with fennel tops,parsley ,bay leaf.

It will cook at boiling for about 20 minutes.


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## moikel (Aug 13, 2016)

Put the full jar into the onions, good slug white wine, some paprika, & some chilli flakes.I will cook that off for 5 minutes. 
Let it sit .
Drained O let that cool I will cut it up later .


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## moikel (Aug 13, 2016)

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Drizzle EVO,squeeze of lemon,some garlic then let it sit.

This will work well for members with Webers or similar .You just char it how you like it from here.

I have a new teppanyaki plate that doesn't look a lot different from a Spanish plancha .Came with the new stove ,I will get it screaming hot & finish the O off. 

My friend Attila finishes his up close to the fire in the big oven so you get that smokey touch.


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## moikel (Aug 13, 2016)

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Hit it on very hot flat top, served it with the sauce ,white rice ,fennel salad.Drank 2 bottles of GSM ( grenache,shiraz,mataro ) that cost a whole $12 a bottle,Aussie.

It was really special.Char grill would have been better but its winter & dark outside! 

Way back in the day, early 80s, there were 2 restaurants owned by 2 brothers who used to have 1 restaurant but they had a fight. Both called the Balkan ,near where I worked.  The off shoot would do seafood on a char grill ,lemon,garlic,EVO salt ,pepper ,potato & coleslaw .The original stuck with char grilled meat , we used to take it week about so as not to add to the tension.

The seafood brother was really just doing Croatian beachside food , 2 or 3 types of whole fish,squid octopus,prawns over charcoal .Lots of smoke & big gutsy flavours ,simple food done well.

Thats all I have done here.

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