Julia’s food from the heart

Potato & octopus salad

SERVES 4-6

1kg waxy potatoes, peeled and left whole
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, drained
large handful of parsley, roughly chopped
2 shallots, finely diced
80ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
OCTOPUS
1kg octopus tentacles
1 dried red chilli
3 strips of lemon peel
4 parsley stalks
1 shallot, halved

1 To prepare the octopus, place the tentacles, chilli, lemon peel, parsley stalks and shallot in a large saucepan with a good pinch of salt. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 45–60 minutes, until the octopus is very tender. Allow the octopus to cool in the cooking water, then drain and cut into 2cm pieces. Place in a large bowl.

2 Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 30–35 minutes, until fork-tender, then drain and cut into 1.5cm pieces. Add the warm potato to the bowl with the octopus, along with the remaining ingredients and season well. Gently toss to combine, then serve.

Sumac prawns with lemon & garlic

SERVES 4

1kg extra-large whole raw prawns
1 tablespoon sumac
zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve