Greek-style octopus obviously has its origins in Greece, where fish consumption — and octopus in particular — is much more widespread than here in Italy. The long cooking of the octopus in wine and tomato sauce makes the octopus very tender and juicy. And make sure to have some bread, because mopping up the sauce is a must
A main course I adore not only because I love octopus but also for its simplicity of preparation. Although it requires long cooking, this dish does not need any special tricks and can be prepared even by a klutz like me — give it a try!!
So, right after the photo, let’s see how to prepare Greek-style octopus.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 175.38 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4.25 (g) of which sugars 2.80 (g)
- Proteins 19.58 (g)
- Fat 6.97 (g) of which saturated 1.49 (g)of which unsaturated 1.11 (g)
- Fibers 0.29 (g)
- Sodium 214.94 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Greek-style octopus
- 4.4 lbs octopus
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup tomato passata (tomato purée)
- 1 1/4 cups red wine
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste parsley
- to taste salt
Preparation: Greek-style octopus
To prepare the Greek-style octopus, start by cleaning the octopus: remove the beak, the eyes, the internal bone and the sac, detach the head and rinse it several times under cold running water.
Cut it into pieces not too large and pat dry with kitchen paper.Place the pieces of octopus in a large pot — preferably earthenware — over low heat without adding any liquid, and let the octopus release all its water and dry out.
This will take about 10 minutes.While the octopus is drying, finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Once the octopus has released its water, add the extra virgin olive oil to the pot, then the chopped onion and garlic; stir and sauté for a few minutes.
At this point add the tomato passata or fresh tomatoes chopped into pieces if they are in season, stir, add the wine, season with salt and simmer over low heat until cooked.
Check the octopus from time to time by piercing a piece with the tines of a fork — the fork should penetrate easily.
It usually takes at least 1 hour of cooking, but always check and if it becomes too dry add some more red wine and a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil — that won’t hurt.When cooked, season with a pinch of salt and a handful of freshly chopped parsley, and above all make sure the sauce is thick and full-bodied — not dry but dense.
Bring the Greek-style octopus to the table piping hot and serve with slices of rustic bread and..
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
Storage: Greek-style octopus
In Greece, Greek-style octopus is also served as an appetizer in small portions and cold — try it cold or warm and you’ll fall in love. Store the Greek-style octopus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. You can freeze the Greek-style octopus; it will be even more flavorful than when freshly made.
other recipes
HERE and also HERE you can find other RECIPES of FISH. If you want to see more recipes RETURN TO HOME
