1 octopus, weighing about 1-1.5kg, cleaned 200g waxy new potatoes such as Charlotte, Roseval or Anya, cooked in their skins, peeled and halved 120g samphire, woody stalks trimmed 30g capers, rinsed 5tbsp olive oil Juice of half a lemon 1tbsp good quality white wine vinegar like chardonnay or white balsamico Salt and freshly ground [...]
1 octopus, weighing about 1-1.5kg, cleaned 200g waxy new potatoes such as Charlotte, Roseval or Anya, cooked in their skins, peeled and halved 120g samphire, woody stalks trimmed 30g capers, rinsed 5tbsp olive oil Juice of half a lemon 1tbsp good quality white wine vinegar like chardonnay or white balsamico Salt and freshly ground white pepper octopus cooking liquor Enough water to cover the octopus 1¿2tsp fennel seeds 1tsp white peppercorns 2 bay leaves 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 2 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped and washed 1 glass of white wine 1 lemon halved 3tsp salt To cook the octopus, bring all the liquor ingredients to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Another way is to cook the octopus and seasoning with no liquid at all but some oil in a covered pot for about the same amount of time. You hear stories of Greek fishermen bashing octopus on the rocks to tenderise them. I’m not sure if that works as it’s the cooking that really determines the tenderness The method given here is simple. The fresh stuff is pretty simple to cook and well worthwhile. With a scented whiff of cream soda, refreshing spritz and clean and full-bodied grapey fruitfulness it conforms to the Alsace role model – only it’s much cheaper.
Drink chilled on its own.Under a tenner: 2001 Vacqueyras Cuv?Vieilles Vignes, £8.99, Marks & SpencerVacqueyras is one of the best value villages in the southern Rh?Valley, which was blessed with a great vintage in 2001, all of which adds up to a well-crafted grenache/syrah blend with aromatic raspberry undertones and a full-bodied, juiciness with summer pudding flavours. Try with roast beef or wafer-thin beef carpaccio (you could make your own with Mark Hix’s 16 August recipe).Splash out: 2001 Concha y Toro Amelia Chardonnay, Casablanca, £11.99, SafewayWithout the overtly tropical flavour of much Chilean chardonnay, this crisp dry white from Ignacio Recabarren comes over more like a first-rate Chablis. Put it down to the restraint and finesse of cool climate fruit, a refreshing, cleaning spritz and an oatmealy, yeasty complexity that derives as much from the burgundian practice of stirring of the less in barrel as from the chardonnay grape itself Try with a sea bass carpaccio.. It’s unfortunate that those pre-made seafood salads that you can buy in supermarkets and jars, and that some restaurants even serve, include baby octopus that taste like rubbery condoms (I imagine). Fabulous new-wave Washington syrah with seductive peppery aromas and an intensely rich, juicy blackberry fruitiness that’s ripe yet succulent and savoury.. Under a fiver: 2002 Brown Brothers Dry Muscat, Around £4.99, Asda, Somerfield
Under a fiver: 2002 Brown Brothers Dry Muscat, Around £4.99, Asda, Somerfield
Made from the Muscat of Alexandria grape, this is a fragrantly scented dry white from north-east Victoria. A class act crafted in the burgundian mould with a delicate touch of butterscotch-like flavour and nuttiness linked to citrus-crisp, pineappley fruit.2000 Coccinelle Syrah, Cayuse, Walla Walla, £35, Morris & Verdin, London SE1 (020-7921 5300).
Perfumed with spicy cherries; delicate, fresh value for money Oregon pinot noir.1999 King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir, £12.95, Berry Bros & Rudd, London SW1 (0870 7396 9600). Oaky aromas and an opulently ripe mouthful of strawberry and cherry fruitiness with sufficient grip for fish or fowl.1999 Columbia Crest Merlot Reserve, Washington, £9.99, Oddbins. A well-balanced, black cherryish merlot with succulently smooth-textured tannins and juicy, chocolatey flavours.2000 Ch?au Ste Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Washington, £14.99, Oddbins. Despite exorbitant prices, as supply increases and economic reality kicks in, we’ll be able to appreciate these deserving alternatives to California.Wines to try:2001 Firesteed Oregon Pinot Noir, £10.95, Liberty Wines (020-7720 5350). Washington’s burgeoning wine industry now has 240 wineries.Washington and Oregon have huge potential, in terms of the sheer quality of fruit and diversity of wine styles. Thanks to Washington’s sunshine-filled days, its wine styles are largely Bordeaux varieties, merlot and cabernet sauvignon dominant, although syrah, the Rh?grape, is emerging as an exciting challenger.
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