Wine-Braised Octopus
1997, Summer, Larnaca. A few days before I gave birth to Thea, my first daughter. I was at the restaurant we had in Larnaca at the time, and my mom was preparing my favorite recipe: Wine-Braised Octopus. The whole restaurant smelled wonderful with caramelized onions. My mom explained the recipe to me step-by-step, emphasizing the important points: “The flavor in octopus, my dear, comes from the onions. Let them catch a little and stick to the bottom of the pot. This will give extra aroma to the dish. And don't forget, the wine must be dry and good,” she told me. Kypros brought fresh bread from his mother, and with the delicious sauce from the octopus, it made the most perfect meze. We all sat at the table, and my father jokingly told me that his “granddaughter would surely be a mezetjina (someone who loves meze).” And the truth is, this particular recipe is one of my Thea's favorites. In my own wine-braised octopus, however, I add tomato paste and Commandaria. Its sweetness is simply indescribable…
- Prep
- 1 h 40 min
- Cook
- 1 h 35 min
- Total
- 3 h 15 min
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 small octopuses, cleaned, about 2 kg
- 2 dry onions, about 500g
- ⅔ cup (170ml) olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon (4g) crushed black peppercorns
- 5 allspice berries
- 1 cup (250ml) dry red wine
- ½ cup (125ml) Commandaria
- 1 heaped tablespoon (35g) tomato paste
- 1 cup hot water
METHOD
- Rinse the octopuses well and place them in a pot. It's okay if they have a little water from rinsing. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil. The octopuses will release a lot of water. Once it boils, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until all the water has evaporated. This will take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Allow the octopuses to cool and cut them into small pieces, 7 - 8 cm in size. Meanwhile, peel the onions, cut them in half, and then into 2 or 4 pieces depending on their size. Next, cut them into thick chunks. Pour the olive oil into a pot and sauté the onions well until they caramelize, about 30 - 40 minutes.
- Next, add the octopus, bay leaves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and allspice to the pot and continue sautéing for another 5 minutes. Then, pour in the wine and Commandaria and boil for 10 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Add the tomato paste and, using a wooden spoon, scrape it against the bottom of the pot to release its aromas. Pour in the hot water, and once it boils, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for another 30 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue to boil for another 10 minutes until the water evaporates and the octopus is left with its rich sauce.
