Dish Name: Slow cooked Octopus with Seaweed Vinegar Jelly, Smoked Beetroot Puree, Pancetta Espuma and Seasonal Herbs
Portions: 4
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 4 hours
List of ingredients:
Octopus
40ml rapeseed oil
15g garlic peeled and thinly sliced
4 branches of thyme
4g fine sea salt
4g smoked paprika
6g sugar
800g octopus
Seaweed Vinegar Jelly
100ml mild seaweed infused vinegar
Salt to taste
2 ½ leaves of gelatine
Smoked Beetroot Puree
300g whole beetroots
wood chips
20ml elderberry vinegar
15ml olive oil
Salt and sugar to taste
Modified starch or Xanthan Gum for thickening
Pancetta Espuma
100g pancetta no rind finely diced
30g white onion, finely chopped
10g butter
150ml milk
150ml cream
1g Lecithin
8g xanthan gum
To garnish
Seasonal micro leaves
Sea lettuce powder
Method of preparation:
Octopus
- Put the octopus into boiling water for 30 seconds and plunge into ice cold water. Repeat twice more. Leave to cool.
- Combine the oil and garlic in a saucepan and simmer until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the thyme and allow to cook for a further minute.
- Mix the salt, sugar and smoked paprika together. Season the octopus with the mixture, vacuum pack with the cooled oil.
- Place in a water bath at 82 ˚C and cook the octopus for 4 hours.
- Remove the octopus reserving the juice for other dishes.
- Allow the octopus to cool slightly.
- Remove all the tentacles and reserve for service.
Seaweed Vinegar Jelly
- Warm the vinegar and season to taste with salt.
- Bloom the gelatine in cold water, squeeze out excess water, dissolve in heated seaweed vinegar.
- Pour into a small mould and chill until fully set.
Pancetta Espuma
- Sweat the pancetta and onions in butter.
- Add the milk and cream and simmer gently for 15 minutes to infuse.
- Blend the mixture and pass through a very fine sieve into a clean pot.
- While whisking the mix add the lecithin and xanthan gum.
- Simmer for a further 3 minutes to a thick sauce consistency.
- Pass through a fine sieve again and place into a cream syphon add two gas cartridges and shake vigorously. Keep warm at 70 °C.
Smoked Beetroot Puree
- Roast the beetroots until very tender. Peel.
- Place half of them on the wire rack in a smoker and smoke gently for approx. 5 mins.
- Place all the beetroot (smoked and unsmoked) in a blender with a splash of elderberry vinegar, blend to a smooth thick puree.
- Emulsify with a little olive oil and season to taste.
Presentation:
- Unmold the seaweed jelly and cut into small even cubs and toss half in the sea lettuce powder.
- Warm the octopus under a low grill until fully heated through
- Place the octopus in the center of a warm (30˚C) plate.
- Arrange the seaweed jelly and smoked beetroot puree around the octopus.
- Finish with the pancetta espuma and the herbs.
Name of the Training college: Galway International Hotel School / GMIT
Address: Department of Culinary Arts, Dublin Road, Galway City
Contact Name: Ulrich Hoeche
Chef Profile:
Ulrich Hoeche is a culinary arts lecturer in the Galway International Hotel School.
Prior to that he has spent 25 years as a professional chef in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Ireland. He graduated from DIT with an MSc in Culinary Innovation and Food Product Development. He is an associate of Euro-toques Ireland, a member of the advisory council for Chef Network and actively involved with Slow Food Galway where he shares his knowledge and love of foraging.
