A traditional Greek style octopus recipe. Simple and super tasty. Serve with some crusty bread and a fresh salad.
Place 450g (1 lb) of octopus tentacles in a saucepan with 1½ tablespoons of red wine vinegar, ¼ of a cup of dry white wine and a bay leaf. Cook for 40-60 minutes over low heat with the lid on. Check now and then to make sure there is still enough liquid, topping up with a little water if necessary. When the octopus is tender (with just a little bite to it), remove it from the liquid and retain the liquid separately. Heat some olive oil in a frypan and fry a sliced onion until soft and caramelising. Remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat up, add a little more olive oil and fry the octopus, either whole or cut into pieces, until a little brown on each side. Add 1-2 finely chopped tomatoes and a finely diced clove of garlic. Return the onions to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften. Add the octopus cooking liquid, 1-2 teaspoons of honey and freshly ground black pepper to taste. The octopus should be salty enough not to season with salt. Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley.
*adapted from this recipe
michelle picker cooks 