Polpo con Papate

MATTHEW0 COMMENTSFROM THE LUNCH BOX, RECIPES

May 03

 11 1 5 37

I can hear so many of you thinking, “Hallelujah! He’s blogging about seafood.” Well, sort of. Sebastian Puig from Barcelona is back with his mouthwatering post about something I cannot even imagine eating, pulpo a la gallega.

I’ll let Sebastian explain.

Pulpo a la Gallega

On almost every menu in any restaurant of a certain size throughout Spain is a dish called “pulpo a la gallega,” or octopus served Galician style. This ubiquitous speciality of Spain’s northwesternmost state has become boring to me, so much of it have I eaten.  And its quality does not vary. Dependable, tasty, not surprising. Bite-size slices of white potato are topped with a slightly smaller cross-section of an octopus tentacle, sprinkled with paprika (not very hot) and drizzled with olive oil. That’s it.

The trattoria in the historic center of Pisa, il Signor Mimmo

The quality of the octopus, of course, determines the success of the dish. If it’s rubbery, it is a misery. If it’s succulent and tender, like the octopus fresh out of the Atlantic in Galicia, it can be yummy.

Imagine my surprise last week while working in Tuscany, to discover “polpo con papate,” a very similar primo piatto that does not acknowledge its Spanish cousin overtly, but which is virtually the same dish. The big surprises there were those subtleties in which Italian chefs excel. The potato slices did not crumble when pierced by my fork, but were instead al dente in the same way that Italians present their pasta. Not quite crisp, but definitely served with integrity.

The "Enchanted April" view from my outdoor table

The octopus did not arrive in little discs, but rather retained the beauty of their original form, and the whole was drizzled with an extremely flavorful green olive oil and sprinkled with chopped parsley and freshly ground pepper. But here’s the real surprise:  a substantial sprig of fresh basil! It transformed the dish, and by putting a slice of the sweet green herb on every forkful of potato and tender octopus, I enjoyed an entirely new taste experience.

This was my dessert--but that's for another story!

- See more at: http://www.alunchboxblog.com/polpo-con-papate/?preview=true&preview_id=3433&preview_nonce=ad70d741dc#sthash.c8omrU08.dpuf