This stunning dish sees perfectly cooked octopus paired with pickled purple carrots for a pleasing tang. Fried chorizo adds a lovely heat to this beautiful starter.
Peel the carrots and cut into this slices diagonally. Place in a pan with water and salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 7–8 minutes until just tender then drain
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Place all of the pickle ingredients in another pan and bring to the boil, cooking until the sugar has dissolved
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Place the carrots into a clasp-top jar and pour over the pickle. Seal and leave to pickle in the fridge for at least 48 hours
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Let the octopus fully defrost in the fridge then wash well. Remove the head, cut out the beak and separate the tentacles
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Place in a large pan with the rest of the ingredients and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 60–90 minutes until tender then leave to cool completely in the liquid before draining and storing in the fridge
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To make the carrot purée, peel the carrots and slice thinly on a mandoline. Heat a saucepan with a tight fitting lid over a high heat and add the carrots with a little water and salt
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Steam until tender, being careful not to let the pan catch. Transfer to a blender, blitz with the olive oil until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. Transfer to a squeezy bottle and set aside
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Use a paper towel to remove the outer skin of the octopus, leaving the suckers intact. Cut the larger tentacles in half. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the chorizo
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Cook until the oil starts to seep out of the chorizo, then add the octopus pieces and fry until crisp and golden on both sides
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Slice the baby carrots thinly on a mandoline. Season with olive oil and a little salt
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To plate, arrange the octopus around the plate and pipe dots of the carrot purée. Add the pickled purple carrot slices, chorizo dice, baby carrot slices, scatter over some almonds and garnish with a few rocket leaves. Drizzle over the remaining chorizo oil from the pan to serve
