Name: Polpo alla piastra su crema di piselli
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 kilo (2 lbs) octopus; Olive oil; 1-2 cloves of garlic (finely minced); Salt; Juice of one lemon; 500 g (1 lb) shelled green peas, ( frozen or fresh); 2-3 shallots (peeled and finely minced); 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable broth (preferably homemade) or water (enough to cover the peas); Butter; Olive oil; Salt; 2-3 Tbs heavy cream (optional); A few leaves of fresh basil or mint (optional)

A simple but elegant main course, polpo alla piastra su crema di piselli (Seared Octopus on Green Peas Purée) provides a striking contrast of colors, textures and taste, with the dark purple of the briny chewy octopus set against a backdrop of the velvety, sweet bright green of the pea purée. A delight for the eye and the palate.

It may look like a 5-star restaurant dish, but here’s the thing: polpo alla piastra su crema di piselli is stupidly easy to make. Especially if, like me, you aren’t averse to using frozen peas and pre-cooked octopus. You just briefly marinade the pre-cooked octopus, then sear it quickly on a griddle or stovetop grill. If the weather permits and you enjoy the smokiness, you could grill it on an outdoor barbecue. For the purée, peas are briefly sautéed with shallots then simmered until tender and puréed in a blender. The whole process shouldn’t take more than perhaps 10 minutes at most of active cooking.

You may notice a family resemblance to another recent recipe for seared baccalà on a bed of chickpea purée. That dish employs a similar method for a dish combining seafood and a legume. But I think you’ll find the actual taste and overall experience of this dish couldn’t be more different.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

For the seared octopus:

1 kilo (2 lbs) octopus (see Notes)
Olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Salt
Juice of one lemon

For the pea purée:

500g (1 lb) shelled green peas, frozen or fresh
2-3 shallots, peeled and finely minced
500ml (2 cups) vegetable broth (preferably homemade) or water (enough to cover the peas)
Butter
Olive oil
Salt
2-3 Tbs heavy cream (optional)
A few leaves of fresh basil or mint (optional)

Directions

Prepping the octopus

If you’re using raw octopus, pre-boil it in well salted water until tender. (See Notes for cooking times.) Let it cool in its liquid, then cut it into serving pieces. If you are using pre-cooked octopus, proceed to the next step.

In a bowl, mix the octopus pieces with the oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, a good pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Preparing the pea purée

Meanwhile, you can prepare your pea purée. In a wide saucepan or skillet, melt the butter in a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the shallots for just a minute or two over gentle heat.

Add the peas, toss them in the flavored butter to coat well, seasoning to taste. Let them sauté gently for a minute or so, then add enough broth or water to just cover them. Simmer for 2 minutes more if frozen, 5 minutes or so if fresh.

Transfer the peas and their cooking liquid to a blender, along with the basil or mint leaves if using. Blend until you have perfectly smooth purée. Stir in the heavy cream if using. The mixture should have the consistency of a sauce, thick but still pourable. Add a bit more water or cream if it needs it.

Return the purée to the saucepan or skillet and keep warm until needed.

Searing the octopus and finishing the dish

Now it’s time to sear the octopus. You can do this on a griddle, stovetop grill pan or on an outdoor grill, as you prefer. Whichever method you choose, make sure your griddle or grill is as hot as you can manage.

Drain the octopus of excess liquid, then sear it on both sides until nicely charred and crisp, but not burnt. (If you’re grilling on an outdoor grill, feel free to baste the octopus with the marinade.) This should only take 2-3 minutes on each side.

Spread the pea purée on individual dishes or a serving plate. Set the seared octopus on top and serve immediately.

Notes

Preparing and cooking the octopus

For this recipe, I’d suggest using either whole baby octopus or just the tentacles of a more mature octopus. Where I live, both are fairly easy to find in stores, usually frozen. Baby octopus is usually sold raw and needs a brief pre-boiling, usually about 15 minutes. These small creatures need no cutting up. The tentacles are often sold pre-cooked, in which case you can proceed directly to the second step in the recipe. You can but the tentacles into smaller pieces or not, as you prefer.

If you are dealing with a mature raw octopus on the other hand, I would only use the tentacles. You can pre-cook it whole, which usually takes a good 30-45 minutes, or even longer, depending on size. But do look for one on the smaller side if you can. Once tender, cut off the tentacles and reserve the head for other uses such as an octopus salad. It is also delicious stewed in tomato sauce.

Preparing the pea purée

As I’ve mentioned before, here in the US at least, unless you have access to very fresh peas just off the vine, frozen peas are actually a better choice than fresh, both here in and in general. My own experience with fresh peas has been almost invariably disappointing. Peas loose their sweetness very quick once picked, so by the time they get to market they tend to turn mealy.

The purée is extremely simple to make and offers few if any pitfalls, except perhaps not to overcook the peas, which would dull their sweet taste and bright green colors. There are a few different ways to approach it. If you want added bulk and some creaminess without adding cream, you could add a potato, cut into cubes, to cook along with the peas. Personally, I like the pure taste of the peas. I also like the cream, which really brings out the sweetness of the peas beautifully and brightens their color as well.

Crema di piselli, or pea purée also makes a delicious soup on its own. Just thin it out further with vegetable or meat broth. I’d top it with bread croutons which you can make easily by cutting a good crusty bread into cubes, tossing it with a drizzle of olive oil and air frying the cubes until golden.

Variations

If you don’t eat octopus or just want a change of pace, this recipe works quite well with other mollusks like squid or cuttlefish. And I bet shrimp would also be very nice. The shrimp (as well as small squid) don’t need pre-cooking.

Making ahead

You can make the component parts polpo alla piastra su crema di piselli ahead and assemble them at the last minute. The pea purée can be made entirely ahead and warmed up when you’re ready to serve. The octopus can be pre-cooked, of course, and marinated as well an hour or two ahead of time. It should, however, be seared at the last minute for best results.

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