In summertime, there’s nothing better than doing a gastronomy route and discovering new culinary experiences, trying new flavours and aromas and tasting other varieties and wines from our wine-growing region. We’ve visited one of the most multi-faceted premises in the nerve centre of Alcázar de San Juan, gastrobar La Cayetana, headed by Mariano Díaz-Miguel.

Mariano Díaz-Miguel, chef in La Cayetana

As soon as we walked through the door we found a pretty spot where we let ourselves be carried away by the wide-ranging menu and its diversity of flavours.

We chatted with Mariano, who started by offering us his own definition of this recipe: “a barbecued octopus accompanied by langoustines and two different creams, one with peas and the other using hummus”.

Ingredients

According to Díaz-Miguel, it’s a dish “that’s fashionable right now” and in this recipe he’s tried to blend “the sea with the land” in a combination he describes as “perfect, with the freshness you can get from peas with mint and the chickpeas that we’ve always been able to serve with shellfish”.

Preparation

”Make a cream with some peas and some vegetable broth, then add a few mint leaves. Then put everything through the masher to make a really smooth purée. The octopus will already be cooked to perfection, so just coat it in olive oil and barbecue it over the coals. Take some good quality langoustines and cook them over the coals too. Then cook some chickpeas and add some Arab-style spices, like cumin, plus some other ingredients, I suggest lemon, vinegar and paprika, then put it all through the masher to make a smooth purée. It will have some lovely flavours”.

The result can be seen on the plate, with a simple and unusual presentation that brings different flavours together to satisfy diners’ palates.

A young white wine always pairs with octopus and langoustines

What wine do you pair with it?

On this occasion, Mariano decided to go for a Verdejo, and he admits that it’s a wine he likes a lot, as “with those hints of sweetness and acidity the Verdejo combines very well with the flavours and aromas in the dish”.

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