Galician style octopus or pulpo a la gallega is a dish with a long history. Originating in the Galicia region of Spain it’s now served in Spanish restaurants around the world. Typically it’s a simple preparation of boiled octopus and potatoes topped with olive oil and paprika. Here though I put my own little spin on it, utilising some modern techniques to spice it up. Roasting some garlic and capsicum in the oven I blended them into what I would call an aioli but everyone blew up in the comments informing me it’s not a true aioli. Either way I blended it with egg yolks, olive oil and little squeeze of lemon juice to make a super rich sauce still trying to keep that paprika flavour. The octopus was first scrubbed with salt, then frozen to help tenderise and then finally tossed with olive oil, salt and paprika. I threaded the tentacles onto skewers to make sure they stayed straight then Into the oven in a covered pan at 160°C for an hour and a half. Super tender everytime. Finally the potato pave or potato terrine which I started the night before, thinly slicing on the mandolin then tossing with duck fat, layering and baking in the oven. I Pressed the potato stack in the fridge overnight then sliced it into logs to be fried in duck fat until it was golden brown and crunchy on the outside while still keeping that soft tender inside. Slicing the tentacles to the same length as the potato I balanced it ontop and finished it off with a squirt of the sauce.

Frank’s red hot, chicken, mozzarella, cheddar, blue cheese, red and green onions and sour cream. Addictive!

Full recipe available here.

Recipe: Ingredients:

For the Pakoras:

• 200g gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Salt, to taste
• 150ml water
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Handful of fresh spinach, chopped

For the Kadhi:

• 300g vegan plain yoghurt
• 150g gram flour (besan)
• 800ml water
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional, for extra heat)
• Salt, to taste
• Handful of fresh spinach leaves

For Serving:

• Steamed basmati rice

Method:

1. Prepare the Pakoras: In a mixing bowl, combine the gram flour, cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric powder, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the water, mixing well to form a thick batter. Stir in the chopped spinach until well combined.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, drop spoonfuls of the pakora batter into the oil, frying until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

3. Prepare the Kadhi: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the vegan yoghurt, gram flour, and water until smooth and free of lumps. Set aside.

4. In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds. Let them splutter for about 30 seconds, releasing their aromatic flavours.

5. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger, cooking for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

6. Add the turmeric powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, and red chilli powder (if using). Stir well to coat the onion mixture with the spices.

7. Gradually pour in the yoghurt and gram flour mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring the kadhi to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it thickens slightly.

8. Add the pakoras to the kadhi and gently simmer for another 5-7 minutes, allowing the pakoras to absorb some of the curry's flavours. Add the fresh spinach leaves and let them wilt into the curry for the final 2 minutes of cooking. Season with salt to taste.

9. While the kadhi is simmering, rinse 300g of basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear. In a medium saucepan, add the rinsed rice and 600ml of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

10. Serve: Ladle the Vegan Kadhi Pakora into bowls and serve with the cooked basmati rice. Garnish with additional fresh spinach or coriander leaves if desired.

My name is Eldar. I am from Kazakhstan. Check this out🙃

Surf & Turf Crostini

https://pauliesaucerecipes.com/post/surf-turf-crostini/

Ingredients

• 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola
• 4 ounces cream cheese (Room temp.)
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1-2 tablespoons of salt, pepper & garlic seasoning
• 1 NY Strip Approx. 1-½ inches thick (You can use filet for this recipe as well)
• 1 lobster tail, the one I used for this recipe was around 8 ounces. You can use shrimp as a substitute.
• French bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 cup of chopped cilantro
• ½ tablespoon of minced garlic
• ½ – 1 shallot (minced)
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• ¾ cup of olive oil for Chimichurri
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
• ½ tablespoon of salt, pepper & garlic seasoning

Instructions

• Assemble your chimichurri 
• In a large mixing bowl add crumbled gorgonzola, cream cheese & sour cream 
• Mix thoroughly so everything blends together 
• Cut your lobster tails in half. Then season with salt, pepper and garlic seasoning 
• Trim off any unwanted to excess fat from your NY strip 
• Season on all sides with salt pepper & garlic seasoning 
• Slice your french bread into ¼ slices 
• Coat both sides of the french bread slices with olive oil 
• Place in your oven on broil and brown both sides 
• For this recipe I cook the steak using the reverse sear method. You can replicate this in the oven or grill
• Sear off your NY Strip on all sides till you develop a nice crust. 
• Place your steak in the oven or on the cool side of the grill till the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees(54°C)
• While your steak is coming up to temperature place your lobster tails on your grill meat side down 
• Rotate after 90 seconds to ensure nice grill marks 
• Flip the lobster tail so the shell is flashing towards the heat source. 
• Once the lobster tail meat reaches an internal temp of 145 degrees(63°C) they are done 
• Let your steak and lobster tail rest for 15 minutes before slicing 
• Coat each french bread slice with gorgonzola cheese spread 
• Slice your steak to desired thickness. I usually try to keep the slices thin to ensure a nice even bite. 
• Place a piece of steak on each crostini and top them off with chimichurri 
• Dice up your lobster tail into even pieces and place them on top of the steak crostini 
• Grab 1 or 10 and enjoy! 

This turned out soo good. Home made Eggs Benedict is the best!

Sautéed the Scottish girolles off by themselves in butter.

In the main pan, roasted off some oyster mushroom trim that I had to use up, and started to build a sauce with pasta water

Finished the dish in a parsley and wild garlic butter sauce, and garnished with the girolles.