Tomato Shrub & Octopus a la gallega

Recipe & Foodstyling: Mattia Risaliti Styling: Milia Seyppel Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald

Spicy or rather sweeter...

with this shrub, you can still decide. After the first step, season with either Tabasco or sugar. The recipe uses a whole pulpo. This is perfect, of course, but also time-consuming. You can also use frozen pulpo arms. The advantage is that they are easy to portion. However, you will need 200 ml of shellfish or fish stock for the sauce. The shrub itself has already been reported on in the Cranberry Post. To be on the safe side and if it is of interest, here it is again:

The shrub is a vinegar-based fruit or vegetable seltzer. A sour-sweet mixture, it's a very special drink. It is not as sweet as lemonade, much more complex with different layers of flavour and a long history:

Its origins lie many centuries ago in the Middle East. Its discovery was probably accidental, when fruit was left too long and a fermentation process began. A practical side effect was that the drink could be kept without refrigeration.

In the 17th century, shrubs found their way to Europe and the rest of the world. It became especially popular in England and the USA. The shrub disappeared with the refrigerator when food and drink became easier to preserve. In recent years it has regained popularity and is finding its way back into bars.

Spicy Tomato Shrub:

500 g cherry tomatoes

300 ml apple cider vinegar

250 g sugar

1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds

1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds

Coriander seeds

1 stick of cinnamon

1 tablespoon Tabasco

1 pinch of salt

Put all the ingredients for the shrub, except the vinegar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Now remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. Then strain the pulp and spices and collect the liquid. Season according to preference: Tabasco makes it spicier, more sugar makes it sweeter. Pour everything into a sealable glass jar. The shrub syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for several months.

The drink:

30 ml of syrup with

130 ml of sparkling water, tonic water or lemonade

Garnish with some corina seeds

Octopus a la Gallega:

2 kg whole fresh octopus

Sea salt flakes

1 onion whole

1 stick of celery coarsely chopped

1 unpeeled, washed carrot roughly chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Keep 200ml of the finished octopus stock!

Or, if frozen, 200ml of fish or curry stock.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil with a pinch of salt. Add the celery, carrot and onion. When the water starts to boil, grab the octopus by the head and dip it quickly into the water 3 times! This makes the octopus stiff so that the skin does not fall off during cooking and the tips of the tentacles curl! This is important! Cook the octopus for about 20 - 25 minutes over medium heat. Make sure that the octopus is covered with water during the entire cooking process. At the end of the cooking time, turn off the heat and let the octopus cool completely in the water. This takes about three hours. Remove from the water, divide and set the tentacles aside. Keep 200 ml of the octopus stock for the sauce.

Smoked paprika sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

25 g butter

Shallot

1 clove of garlic -

150 ml white wine

200 ml octopus stock

Or, if frozen, 200 ml fish or cucumber stock

1 dash dill

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Melt the butter in a deep pan. Add the shallots, garlic and olive oil and stir until translucent. Add the white wine, squid stock and lemon juice. Leave to infuse for about 5 minutes. Now add the smoked paprika and fresh dill and stir. Simmer for another 2 minutes. To serve, place the tentacles on a plate and pour the paprika sauce over them. Sprinkle with a little dill.