Slow-cooked Octopus and Hummus on toasted olive bread

Ingredients:

1kg octopus tentacles 
Brine from a 300g jar of Mount Zero Olives
1 head of garlic
4 sprigs lemon thyme 
3 red chilli, sliced lengthways 
1 litre of Mount Zero Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salad:
1 punnet cherry tomatoes 
Fresh basil, up to 12 leaves, torn
½ a cup, Mount Zero Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt, to taste 
Black pepper, to taste 

To Serve: 
1 jar of Tom Sarafian hummus 
Smoked paprika, to garnish 
A good quality sourdough olive bread, sliced 

Method

Don’t waste your delicious brine! Pour the olive brine from Mount Zero olives onto the octopus to brine for 45 minutes.  

Heat the oven to 130°C. 

Drain the octopus and put in a deep pot. Add garlic, lemon thyme and red chilli and then completely cover in Mt Zero Arbequina olive oil. Cook for 1 hour.

Remove from the oil mixture and drain the octopus, it should be tender but slightly firm to the touch. 

Heat a fry-pan to a high heat and season the octopus with Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt. Cook the octopus until golden brown all over. 

Take octopus off heat, rest and slice into bite-sized pieces. Put aside. 

FOR THE SALAD

Smash cherry tomatoes in mortar and pestle and season with basil, black pepper and pink lake salt. 

TO SERVE

Slice and toast the olive bread. Spread hummus over toast. Spoon tomato and basil salad over hummus. Arrange octopus slices on top.

Finish with more Mount Zero Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garnish with smoked paprika.