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…
