This dish really isn’t as difficult as it may sound but it’s all about prepping properly and getting the timing right at the end. The end result is worth it though, especially if you want to impress your mates or family. Smooth, creamy risotto with crunchy, tender bits of octopus. What’s not to like. Octopus can be a bit pricy though so feel free to substitute the octopus with squid.
Serves 4
Cooking time: Approximately 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the risotto
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 100 grams of chorizo, finely chopped
- a few strands of saffron, soaked in some water
- 1 litre / 2 pts of chicken stock
- 1 glass of white wine (optional)
- 300g of arborio rice
- 100 grams of parmesan
- some parsley and cress to garnish
For the octopus fritters
- 100g of self raising flour
- 1/2 tspn of baking powder
- ice cold sparkling water
- 1/2 tablespoon of chilli flakes
- 1 large or 2 small octopus
- lemon
- vegetable or rapseed oil (enough to deep fry in)
METHOD
The first step is to tenderise the octopus. (If you’re using squid you won’t have to do this next step as it’s tender enough just to fry) Get a large pan with water on the stove, add a glug of oil and some salt and pop the whole octopus in, making sure it’s covered. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat & simmer for about 30 -40 minutes (for a large octopus) or until you can easily slice into it with a knife or skewer. When tender, remove the octopus from the heat and set aside to cool.
After the octopus has been cooking for about 25 minutes you can start with the risotto. The first thing to do is fry off the chorizo bits. Add them to a hot, deep-bottomed frying pan (or large saucepan) and fry for 3-4 minutes until the chorizo has released all its oil and has started to crisp up. Then spoon the bits out of the pan and set aside but leave the oil in the pan.
Add the onions to the pan and fry gently for a few minutes until they start to soften (but not colour) Next, add the red pepper, chilli and garlic and fry for another few minutes. Then turn the heat up and after a minute, add the wine. Let it sizzle and bubble over high heat for a minute or two to cook off some of the alcohol. Then add the saffron water and the rice and stir everthing well so the rice can start to soak up the flavours. Cook and stir for a minute or so over high heat, then add the first ladle of stock and turn down to a gentle simmer.
Let the rice simmer like this for about 20-25 minutes, (or until the rice is tender but with a bit of bite) adding a ladle of stock every time it’s almost absorbed the last one and stirring it well every 30 seconds or so. The more you stir, the more the rice starts to release its starch making the whole thing lovely and smooth.
As soon as you’ve added the last ladle of stock to the risotto, it’s time to get the fritters going. Get a deep, heavy bottomed pan (or fryer) on the stove and fill with about 4/5 cm of oil. Heat up over high heat and add a small chunk of bread. When it starts to sizzle gently and float at the top you know the oil is good to go. While the oil is heating, quickly make the tempura batter. Mix the flour, chilli flakes and baking powder together, then while whisking, add small amounts of the ice cold sparkling water until you’ve got a batter that’s roughly the consistency of a thin, single cream. Add some flour to another bowl and when the oil is hot, coat the octopus well in the flour, then dip in the batter, shake off the excess and GENTLY drop it in the hot oil.
Fry for literally 1 ½ minutes or until the batter starts to brown (Fry in small batches at a time. When you overload the pan everything will stick together.) When done take the octopus out of the pan and place on a bit of kitchen towel to soak up excess oil, season with salt & pepper and keep in a warm place while you finish off the risotto.
To finish the risotto, chuck in the crispy chorizo bits, a large knob of butter and the grated parmesan. Taste and check the seasoning, then spoon into bowls. Place the squid on top, add some herbs of your choice and squeeze over some lemon juice. Serve immediately.
