Greek Octopus Stew
Oktapodi Krasato, a delicious octopus stew in red wine. This is a favorite recipe of numerous Greek tavernas. It is best served in the summer when the young octopuses are caught. Larger ones are tougher and need longer cooking times. My advice, get the young ones.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs (900 g) young and tender octopus
- 1 1/2 cups (210 g) onions, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine
- 1 cup (240 g) canned tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato purée
- 1 small red pepper, sliced
- 1 small green pepper, sliced
- 1 small yellow pepper, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp oregano (dried)
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped plus additional for garnish
- salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Cut the octopus legs into medium sized pieces of around 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) and crisscross octopus head flesh.
Heat olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the octopus. Cook to seal all sides. Pieces will curl all over. Add onions and cook them until they color a little bit, stirring once or twice. Add the sliced peppers and garlic. Cook a few minutes further. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaves, oregano, parsley, and pepper. Stir this well, cover and let simmer gently for about one hour. Make sure the sauce does not dry out at any time. Add water if necessary. The sauce should end up being quite thick. When you can easily pierce the octopus, it is cooked. Remove the bay leaves and adjust seasoning. Garnish with extra parsley.
Best served with a crusty country bread to mop up the sauce.
