Octopus Paella

1. For sofrito, heat oil in large skillet over medium. Cook onion and garlic for 10 minutes until soft but not browned. Add red pepper. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until soft.

2. Add remaining sofrito ingredients. Reduce heat. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced. Discard bay leaves. Pulse sofrito in food processor until smooth. Refrigerate (up to 3 days) or freeze.

3. Steam octopus for about 1 hour until tender. When cool enough to handle, rub off skin. Cut tentacles and body into bite-size chunks and discard head.

Black Ink Octopus Paella

4. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 15-inch paella pan or cast iron skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning once, until browned. Pour off fat from pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add remaining oil and cook garlic until fragrant. Add sofrito. Stir for 1 minute. Warm stock in a saucepan.

5. Stir in rice. Cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Stir in hot stock and saffron. Increase heat to medium. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken, octopus and chorizo. Push clams, hinge side down, into rice. Position pan so it straddles two burners and adjust heat so paella simmers gently. Cover pan tightly with foil. Cook for 5 minutes, then rotate pan 90 degrees. Cook for 5 more minutes. Remove foil. Turn chicken. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes, until rice is almost tender, chicken is cooked and clams are open.

Chris McDonald’s 30-year career started before many of the current crop of bright, young, tattoo-sporting chefs could even hold a spoon. McDonald ran one of the city’s most ambitious kitchens at Avalon, back (way back) when the Entertainment District was just a holding area for old, empty warehouses. At Cava, his six-year-old Spanish dining room at Yonge and St. Clair, he’s been consistently ahead of the trend curve—serving tapas, local produce and charcuterie well before everyone else. One of his finest menu items is paella, the macho Iberian dish traditionally cooked over outdoor fires. It takes at least an hour to prepare, and there’s no turning back once it’s on the flame. Then again, commitment, as McDonald notes dryly, is what great chefs are all about.

Squid Ink Paella Recipe

Recipes developed by Victoria Walsh. Recipe photography by Ryan Szulc. Portrait photography by Raina and Wilson. Illustrations by Aleksandar Janicijevic. Interviews by Denise Balkissoon, Ariel Brewster, Andrew D’Cruz, Jennifer Goldberg, Matthew Hague, Claire Hastings, Bronwen Jervis and Simone Olivero.

4. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 15-inch paella pan or cast iron skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning once, until browned. Pour off fat from pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add remaining oil and cook garlic until fragrant. Add sofrito. Stir for 1 minute. Warm stock in a saucepan.

5. Stir in rice. Cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Stir in hot stock and saffron. Increase heat to medium. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken, octopus and chorizo. Push clams, hinge side down, into rice. Position pan so it straddles two burners and adjust heat so paella simmers gently. Cover pan tightly with foil. Cook for 5 minutes, then rotate pan 90 degrees. Cook for 5 more minutes. Remove foil. Turn chicken. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes, until rice is almost tender, chicken is cooked and clams are open.

Chris McDonald’s 30-year career started before many of the current crop of bright, young, tattoo-sporting chefs could even hold a spoon. McDonald ran one of the city’s most ambitious kitchens at Avalon, back (way back) when the Entertainment District was just a holding area for old, empty warehouses. At Cava, his six-year-old Spanish dining room at Yonge and St. Clair, he’s been consistently ahead of the trend curve—serving tapas, local produce and charcuterie well before everyone else. One of his finest menu items is paella, the macho Iberian dish traditionally cooked over outdoor fires. It takes at least an hour to prepare, and there’s no turning back once it’s on the flame. Then again, commitment, as McDonald notes dryly, is what great chefs are all about.

Squid Ink Paella Recipe

Recipes developed by Victoria Walsh. Recipe photography by Ryan Szulc. Portrait photography by Raina and Wilson. Illustrations by Aleksandar Janicijevic. Interviews by Denise Balkissoon, Ariel Brewster, Andrew D’Cruz, Jennifer Goldberg, Matthew Hague, Claire Hastings, Bronwen Jervis and Simone Olivero.

4. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 15-inch paella pan or cast iron skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning once, until browned. Pour off fat from pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add remaining oil and cook garlic until fragrant. Add sofrito. Stir for 1 minute. Warm stock in a saucepan.

5. Stir in rice. Cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Stir in hot stock and saffron. Increase heat to medium. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken, octopus and chorizo. Push clams, hinge side down, into rice. Position pan so it straddles two burners and adjust heat so paella simmers gently. Cover pan tightly with foil. Cook for 5 minutes, then rotate pan 90 degrees. Cook for 5 more minutes. Remove foil. Turn chicken. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes, until rice is almost tender, chicken is cooked and clams are open.

Chris McDonald’s 30-year career started before many of the current crop of bright, young, tattoo-sporting chefs could even hold a spoon. McDonald ran one of the city’s most ambitious kitchens at Avalon, back (way back) when the Entertainment District was just a holding area for old, empty warehouses. At Cava, his six-year-old Spanish dining room at Yonge and St. Clair, he’s been consistently ahead of the trend curve—serving tapas, local produce and charcuterie well before everyone else. One of his finest menu items is paella, the macho Iberian dish traditionally cooked over outdoor fires. It takes at least an hour to prepare, and there’s no turning back once it’s on the flame. Then again, commitment, as McDonald notes dryly, is what great chefs are all about.

Squid Ink Paella Recipe

Recipes developed by Victoria Walsh. Recipe photography by Ryan Szulc. Portrait photography by Raina and Wilson. Illustrations by Aleksandar Janicijevic. Interviews by Denise Balkissoon, Ariel Brewster, Andrew D’Cruz, Jennifer Goldberg, Matthew Hague, Claire Hastings, Bronwen Jervis and Simone Olivero.