Recipe by Marco Ambrosino: Octopus, Potatoes, Shallots, and Juniper

Ingredients for 4 Servings

For the Octopus

4 octopus tentacles
1 Dutch potato
1 tablespoon of squid ink
2 juniper berries
30g tapioca pearls
Peanut oil

For the Shallot Preserve

500g shallots
350g water
250g raspberry vinegar
15g salt
15g brown sugar
1 clove of garlic
1 bay leaf

Method

For the Shallot Preserve

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices in a pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let cool. Place the cleaned shallots in an airtight jar and pour the brine over until fully covered. Seal the jar and sterilize it. The preserve will be ready after 3 weeks.

For the Other Ingredients

Place the octopus tentacles in a vacuum bag and seal. Cook in boiling water for 30 minutes. Once cooked, remove the tentacles from the bag, retrieve the cooking liquid, and emulsify with peanut oil as if making mayonnaise until smooth and creamy.
Peel the Dutch potato and bake the skins in the oven at 190°C (374°F) until golden. Once golden, place them in a pot with 300g of water. Cook over medium heat until a fragrant and golden broth is obtained. When the broth is ready, remove the skins and add the tapioca pearls, cooking until they are transparent and soft.
Cut the peeled potato into cubes, put them in a pot with squid ink, juniper, and some potato skin broth. When the potatoes are cooked, season with salt, blend everything together, spread the mixture with a spatula on a silpat sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 180°C (356°F). Then dry the wafer at 60°C (140°F) for about 5 hours.

Finishing the Dish

Grill the tentacles on a cast iron griddle, place them on the plate with two tablespoons of tapioca pearls. Add the octopus mayonnaise and finish with the potato and juniper wafers and the preserved shallots.