Late morning. Pot on. Timer set. Luis’s rule is simple: timing and the lid. Here’s what he didn’t say, learned today in our kitchen with a dog under the table and Wordle waiting.
What we cooked
1.2 kg frozen, cleaned octopus. Tall 8-litre pot. Coarse salt. Good olive oil. Pimentón dulce with a pinch of picante. Two large potatoes.
How it worked here
- Defrost overnight in the fridge, tray underneath. Pat dry.
- Simmer plain water only. No salt. Keep it steady, not boiling.
- Dip three times holding the head. Tips curl, skin stays on.
- Lower and simmer about 35 minutes for 1–1.3 kg. At 30, skewer the thick part. You want a soft push, not wool.
- Rest in the liquor off-heat for 10–12 minutes. This fixed last time’s dry edges.
- Potatoes in a second pan. Thick rounds. Salted water. Fork-tender, still holding.
- Cut with scissors. Coins the width of a little finger. Keep the cups.
- Plate on wood if you have it. Potatoes first, octopus on top, a calm line of oil, coarse salt, then pimentón dulce and the lightest dust of picante.
Notes to self
- Salt on the plate, never the water.
- Paper towel on the board before cutting. Less slip, cleaner coins.
- If serving later, glass container, spoon of oil, pinch of salt. Two days max in the fridge.
- Ask the stall for vacuum sealing next time to keep bags civil: “¿Lo puedes envasar al vacío?”
Mistakes we actually made
- Rolling boil stripped skin. Keep it at a simmer.
- Skipped the rest once. Gave dry tips. Ten minutes in hot stock changed that.
- Old oil tasted bitter on warm paprika. Fresh bottle only.
- Heavy hand with paprika looked pretty and tasted wrong. Start light, adjust at the table.
Lunch was quiet. Octopus, potatoes, small Albariño. Bertie got a corner of potato and lodged a polite complaint with his eyes. Later, the neighbour said she adds onion to the water. We can’t taste a difference. She skips the rest. We wouldn’t. She suggested a tiny touch of smoked paprika next time just to see if we miss it when it’s gone.
Leftovers went small-dice into a jar with a spoon of oil, pinch of salt, and a little pimentón. Tomorrow it becomes a quick salad with tomatoes and thin onion.
We cleared up and opened Wordle. Four for Patricia, five for me. New line in the notebook so the next attempt starts from knowledge, not guesswork: “35 + 12 rest, scissors, oil then paprika.”
