Oktopodi - Octopus

 

OKTO-PODI  ( from the greek meaning eight-feet)

Plural, octopii, octopodia or octopuses

 - Recipe below -

Having a soft body, a strong beak like jaw and eight tentacles with suckers.  According to Wikipedia ‘Octopuses are among the most intelligent behaviorally diverse of all invertebrates’ - remember Paul the   Octopus who predicted the winners of the 2010 World Soccer cup matches?   Paul was saved from being turned into octopus salad because of his psychic abilities but many of his species turn up on plates at tavernas, ristorantes and  bistros all over the med.

Catching your octopus is an art learnt over the years by small boys with sticks who turn into tanned bare foot fishermen  fishing  for more fatale ‘prey’ in those same tavernas, ristorantes and bistros all over that same Mediterranean coast.

Jiggling a stick under its rock is a good way to make it leave its nest of stones on the seabed. Keep your eyes wide open because they are hard to spot. An octopus can change colour and blend very nicely into its surroundings.  If you’re lucky it will wrap the tentacles around your arm and suck onto your skin.  If you’re unlucky it will cover you in a blast of sticky black  ink and launch itself like a rocket into the depths never to be seen again.

Be brave, grab it quickly by the ‘neck’ and bite it between the eyes to kill it.  Swim to the nearest beach and ‘beat’ the octopus 100 times by slamming it on the rocks.  This will tenderize it.  Then swirl it around for a few minutes in the juices it produces.  The octopus can also be softened  by putting it in the freezer for a few days.

It's still common to see a fisherman beating an octopus on the rocks at the edge of the sea or the end of a jetty. 

Or go to your local fishmonger and  beg them to find one for you.  Most of the world seems to know octopus only from a vaccum packeted tentacle in the gourmet section of the deli.

If you can’t find a fresh or frozen octopus then buy a ticket to Greece and make your way to the nearest small island ‘Ouzeri’.  Order an  aniseed ouzo with lots of ice  and you’ll be given  grilled ‘octpodi’ as a meze.  You’ll be served a tentacle of octopus doused with lemon juice and also a  toothpick.  Spear a small slice of octopus which has been bbqed over the coals on the pavement next to you.    Sip from your glass of milky ouzo, nibble on a slice of cucumber and chew your octopus tentacle while watching the brilliant sunset over the Aegean sea.

- Preparation and Recipe   -

When you find an octopus to cook then this is the way to do it.   If the octopus is frozen then let it defrost.  If it’s fresh put it in the freezer for a couple of days to tenderize it.

Slit the *hood of the octopus and clean out the ink sac and any brown stuff.  Wash the octopus well in cold water, especially if it feels slimy.  Turn the hood inside out and cut out out the sharp ball-like projections, called the 'beak'.

    

*It’s simpler to cut off the hood and just use the tentacles.  The hood tends to be tougher.

A traditional greek prefers it grilled but it will be chewy. Most online instructions for grilled octopus call for boiling it first to make it tender.  That’s for others. Don't suggest that here in Greece.   Here they will hang it out to dry before it goes on the grill, tentacle by tentacle.

If you're a reader of my blog you will have seen many photos of  octopus hanging out to dry on my clothesline.

- To cook the most tender octopus you slowly stew it, more or less in its own juices.

- Boil the octopus in a little water for about an hour till it is soft. Add more water as is needed.  

- Add a bay leaf as well.  When it is ready and the juices/water have boiled down then add a good dash of vinegar, half a small wine glass of fresh olive oil and a smattering of oregano.    Your saucepan will need a good scrub afterwards but the purple stains do disappear eventually.

My father-in-law insisted you should never add water to the pot but let it stew slowly in its own juices.  None of the octopii I have cooked ever had enough juice to cook it that way.

- NB It does not need any salt (unless your name is Rainy)

- Cut the octopus  into slices .  Serve on a plate with the vinegar and oil. Maybe sprinkle a little dried oregano over it.  The oil and vinegar make the sauce that you mop up with bread.  Make sure the bread is not too fresh, and cut thick.   

Octopus with vinegar and oil is what K makes for our extended family visitors. It's very popular even with those who have never tried it before. 

  Follow up with sliced apples sprinkled with honey cinnamon and walnuts.

Traditional Greeks like a small sweet after a fish dish.

 - Variations -

- You can also bake the octopus.  K loves it with small macaroni shells, a tomato sauce made from fresh grated tomatoes, lots of olive oil and a couple of cinnamon sticks.

- To use in a salad boil it first till tender and then cut into the size you want and add the salad items you like.  I've never seen this on a Greek menu. 

- Grilled octopus.  Some say grill it till it almost turns black.  Others say grill it a few minutes and serve.  You'll have to try each way and see which you prefer.  With or without boiling it first.  Slice into very thin pieces and eat with a squeeze of lemon juice and a scattering of dried oregano

- Octopus balls.  If it's still tough after boiling, the cat won't eat it and you don't know what on earth to do with it then turn it into octopus keftethes.  I made these once but can't remember the recipe exactly.   You'll need a high power blender to chop it up.  Probably the mixture needs breadcrumbs, parsley, maybe basil, pepper, spring onion, lemon juice, maybe an egg to bind the mix and oil to fry the walnut size balls. Use Google for the exact recipe