Greek-style Octopus recipe (Xtapodi)

Ingredients for 4

• 1 medium fresh or frozen octopus about 4 pounds/1.8 kilos

• 3 garlic cloves crushed

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs

• 2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs

• ½ cup dry red wine

• ½ cup red or white wine vinegar

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

• ½ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil

• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

• 2 heaping teaspoons dried Greek oregano

• 2 tablespoons Santorini or other Greek capers rinsed and drained

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or oregano

• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin Greek olive oil

Directions

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  Step 1

  1. If using frozen octopus, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. 2. Using a large, sharp knife, cut off the octopus’s sack-like hood just below the eyes and either discard or use to make a few servings of octopus keftedes (see box). Divide the octopus into eight pieces, keeping the tentacles intact. Place in a heavy saucepan with the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, vinegar, balsamic, half cup of olive oil, and black pepper. 3. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the tentacles are tender but al dente and not at all stringy. There are three cooking possibilities here: 140 °F / 60 °C for 24 hours: Pretty tender, but still structured - great in seafood stews and soups 171 °F / 77 °C for 5 hours: Silky and tender - make it the star of any appetizer 185 °F / 85 °C for 24 hours: Really quite tender - try it chilled, in a salad To see exactly how your octopus will come out, download the Joule app and open Olive Oil–Poached, Grill-Finished Octopus. 4. Remove the octopus from the heat and place it in a bowl with enough of the pot juices to cover. Set aside until ready to grill. (At this point, you can bring the octopus to room temperature, then refrigerate in its cooking liquid for up to 24 hours.)

• Step 0

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