“Why don’t we show the Chianti and the Chardonnay side by side and then we have room for the others?” was the request. I have moaned before that matching food and wine is not always as easy as it might seem. In the abstract, it is not so difficult: every wine – almost, although I am not sure Spätlese benefits from any accompaniment – really has at least one dish that suits it ideally well. It is when it comes to integrating them into a menu that is balanced and harmonious that it becomes more difficult.

Chianti and Chardonnay are a case in point. I might have done something with ceps if the batch I received last week were not so mysteriously lacking in flavour. Besides I had already resolved to do a “salmi” of partridge (a party-friendly dish where the birds are slightly undercooked, taken off the bone and then stewed very gently in a sauce with mushrooms and button onions), so more mushrooms would have been inappropriate. After a little deliberation, I plumped for octopus. Although rarely a fan of pairing red wine with fish (I’ll do a light Pinot Noir with salmon but that’s about it), I thought a really meaty piece of octopus would correspond well with the sinuous and fruity Chianti.

I was too busy with my partridges to watch the reaction at first hand but I think it was well received. Even 10 years ago I would not have dreamed of serving up octopus to a bunch of strangers. I always imagined that cephalopods – unless deep-fried in breadcrumbed rings and preferably in a foreign country – were not on the menu as far as the more conservative diner was concerned.

I may or may not have been right 10 years ago but these days grilled squid and octopus “carpaccio” are practically safe options on a contemporary menu and only cuttlefish, strangely, remains hard to sell.

I have experimented with various ways of cooking octopus and am now convinced that an incredibly gentle stewing in its own juice, having been previously frozen, brings the most efficacious results.

My second conclusion regarding this interesting creature is that it is a complete crime to clean off the surreal carapace of suckers that cover the legs: they are incredibly succulent and flavoursome and even if they don’t demonstrate the octopus’s politest side, they managed to charm both the Chardonnay and the Chianti.

Rowley Leigh is the chef at Le Café Anglais
rowley.leigh@ft.com
More columns at www.ft.com/leigh

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Grilled octopus with borlotti beans

Either buy the octopus fresh in advance and then freeze it or buy it frozen. On no account salt octopus or beans until you have tasted the result: it tends to be naturally salty and usually needs little seasoning.

Ingredients
1kg octopus
2 onions
2 carrots
6 cloves garlic
6 strips lemon peel
3 bay leaves
1 generous sprig of thyme
½ bottle dry white wine
1kg fresh borlotti beans (in their pods) or 200g dried borlotti beans
1 onion
12 cloves
1 chilli
1 bulb garlic
1 tbs finely chopped parsley
1 tsp chilli flakes

Method
● Rinse the octopus in cold water and place it in a deep ovenproof dish. Slice the onions, carrots and garlic thinly and add to the pot, along with the lemon peel, bay leaves, thyme and white wine. Cover the dish with a secure lid and place in a slow oven (250°F, Mark 12, 125°C) for three to four hours or until the octopus is perfectly tender. Leave it to cool in its liquor.
● Pod the borlotti beans and place in a casserole dish. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Drain and cover again with cold water and add an onion studded with 12 cloves, a whole red chilli, and a bulb of garlic.
● Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the beans are tender (about one and a half hours). Leave to cool in their liquid.
● Remove the octopus from its liquor and cut into small, 3cm lengths, leaving the suckers attached and cutting the body into thin rounds. Toss these in a little olive oil and spread on to an oven tray.
● Strain the liquor from the octopus and reduce by half. Drain the borlotti beans and reheat them gently in the octopus liquor, adding the pressed pulp of the garlic, the chopped parsley and chilli flakes. Taste for seasoning and add a squeeze of lemon juice if required.
● Place the octopus strips under a hot grill for five minutes, or until they start to colour and then mix the octopus with the beans. Then serve immediately.