1.5kg/3lb 5oz fresh Breton coco beans (Coco de Paimpol)
podded
1 Morteau sausage fresh
cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
2 heads garlic
tops cut off
200g/7oz sourdough
crusts removed
cut into 5mm/¼in pieces
glug olive oil
2 small onions
thinly sliced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 red chilli
3 vine tomatoes
halved
1.5 litres/3lb 5oz chicken stock
1 small bunch flatleaf parsley
roughly chopped
salt
Directions
For the saffron aioli
using a food processor or pestle and mortar
blend the egg yolk
saffron
mustard
garlic and the juice and zest of the lemon.
Gradually add the light olive oil to the mixture and season with salt
to taste. Leave in the fridge until later.
Remove the tentacles from the defrosted octopus and cut into five pieces each. Discard the head and the bottom very thin part of the tentacles.
Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.
For the cassoulet
add a generous pour of olive oil to a heavy-based casserole pan and add the onions and smoked paprika
season with salt and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the sausage
and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beans
octopus pieces
chilli
garlic and tomatoes. Pour in the stock
which should be just under the level of the beans and octopus
add the bread pieces and cover with a cartouche (a circle of greaseproof parchment that covers the food). Bring to a simmer and place in the oven to cook for 1 and a half hours; remove the cartouche for the last 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven
allow to cool and strain the remaining liquid into a separate pan
reserving the cassoulet. Using a hand-blender
blend in a tablespoon of the aioli to the sauce and squeeze the cooked garlic out of the peel and into the sauce. Blend again and add the parsley.
Return the octopus
sausage pieces and beans to the sauce
warm through and serve with the remaining aioli on the side.
