CHICKPEA SALAD WITH MOSCARDINI OCTOPUS AND TOMATO CONFIT

CHICKPEA SALAD WITH MOSCARDINI OCTOPUS AND TOMATO CONFIT

(for 4 people)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg of Moscardini octopus
• 200 g of chickpeas
• 400 g of cherry tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE:

• 1/2 bio lemon
• 1 bunch of mixed aromatic herbs (parsley, basil and thyme)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 cardamom seeds
• 1 fresh chilli
• 1 clove of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• black pepper
• salt

PROCEDURE

1. Prepare the tomato confit in advance, by washing them and cutting the tomatoes in half before spreading them out on a baking tray with the cut half facing upwards. Sprinkle sugar and salt over them, add a drizzle of oil and cook for 2-3 hours at 100°. Let them cool inside the oven.
2. The evening before, soak the chickpeas in water. The following morning, rinse them under running water before putting them into a pan with 1 litre of water and the bay leaf. Remember not to add any salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the chickpeas are cooked. This will take around 1 hour.
3. Clean the Moscardini octopus: remove the eyes and beak, turn the sack inside out like a sock and wash out any left over sand. Immerse in boiling water until tender. This will take around 20 minutes, but cooking time depends on the size of the oc-topuses and should therefore be adjusted accordingly. Once cooked, drain and al-low to cool before cutting into small pieces.
4. Once all the ingredients have cooled, it’s time to prepare the salad. Mix the chick-peas, the chopped Moscardini octopus pieces, tomato confit, garlic, parsley, thyme and basil and the finely chopped chilli pepper. Pour over oil, lemon juice, the cum-in seeds, cardamom, salt and pepper. Before serving the salad, let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Better yet, prepare it the day before so all the flavours are soaked up and the salad has a chance to marinate.