GreekFoodTv☼ Octopus

Greeks love octopus, one of the classic meze dishes and main course stews. Learn to clean and handle this unusual seafood by watching Diane's video. Octopus is delicious with extra virgin olive oil. Grilled, it's the best-known meze. Stewed or braised it pairs beautifully with tomatoes, garlic, oranges, and herbs. Drink an ouzo or a glass of Greek red wine with it.

Greek fishermen, to tenderize the chewy, leathery flesh of an octopus, they thrash it 40 times against the rocks. There are definitely more efficient ways to catch and tenderize an octopus. Today, in commercial fisheries, they use washing-machine like mechanisms, or they freeze them, which breaks down the cell structure in the octopus' mussels and makes the flesh quite tender indeed.
Octopus dipped in ouzo is a Greek-island meze in its own right, and octopus stewed with anise-flavored fennel—the same basic duet of flavors--is a local much-loved specialty in Crete and the southern Peloponnese.
Cooking: The octopus needs not water, just a good heavy pot with lid and a very low flame. Cook it slowly until its own purple juice fills the pot and its flesh is about halfway cooked, then proceed with the recipe on hand. Anyway, we Greeks "own" the octopus to the outside world, just as the Italians have taken possession of the tomato, at least in the minds of most Americans.
Of all the fish and seafood specialties of Greece—and there are many—none is more characteristic than octopus. Octopus is one of the favorite ingredients in countless stews and pairs well with all sorts of seasonal vegetables, from winter leeks to summer eggplants.
Octopus, at around 11 euro a kilo as I write, maybe less at the Central Market, is a favorite ingredient in countless Greek country stews. Its ability to pair deliciously with a full array of seasonal vegetables, from winter leeks to summer eggplants, never ceases to beguile me.
Greeks have adored this gangly, delicious cephalopod from time immemorial; images of it appear on Greek vases from the Mycenaean, Minoan, and classical eras, evincing a popular fascination with it.
Many varieties find their way to the Greek country dinner plate, but one is especially esteemed: the O. vulgaris, with its double row of suckers running up along each tentacle. O. macropus is another popular species, with thinner but longer tentacles. One octopus species with a single row of suckers, Eledone cirrosa, isn't much savored in Greece, as cooks think of it as inferior. The musk octopus suffers from a similar disdain, its aroma way too strong for the taste of most country cooks.
Regardless of the species, its flesh needs to be tenderized to taste good and the two countries that eat the most of it each has its own way of ensuring the right texture. The Greeks beat it a biblical 40 times against the rocks that buttress so many Greek beaches; the Spanish, first in the world among octopus consumers, throw a cork into the pot while it simmers. Arguably, the best way to tenderize it also the easiest: just freeze it, which helps break down cell structure, thus making the octopus softer.
One caveat from this cook: grilled octopus is like a good steak. It has to be charred and chewy; you have to work at it to get the flavor. So, DON'T over boil it before grilling!

HOW TO CLEAN
Clean the octopus. Remove its saclike head and discard. Using a sharp paring knife, cut away the beaklike mouth. Put the octopus in a medium pot, and add the wine, bay leaf, and strip of orange zest. Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the octopus is basically cooked but still a little al dente. (The cooking time will vary slightly, depending on the size and innate tenderness of the octopus.) Drain the octopus, reserving the pan juices, and set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, chop the octopus into very small pieces.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• seafood
• grilled
• stew
• octopus
• dishes
• Greek
• Greece
• traditional
• meals
• charred
• pot
• food
• cooking
• cuisine
• meze
• appetizers
• Blue Zones
• healthy
• health
• healthy diet
• healthy cooking
• Mediterranean diet
• lunch
• dinner
• olive oil
• extra virgin
• PDO
• DOP

[GreekFoodTV]

SO do we!!

[RatkoUSA]

Wow, I didn't know I needed to tenderize it.

No wonder mine was like chewing on shoe leather.

[Spartan3971]

im from romania but i love greek cuisine!! especially grilled octopus and kalamari:X:X

[dobbsiancant]

that was a waste of a perfectly good minute.

[RatkoUSA]

@simon199418 You are the lucky one :-)

[simon199418]

@RatkoUSA yeah me 2 and i was getting frustrated cs i was going to the greek islands every year and i was tasting it but i couldn't recreate it. Really annoying cs i live in an island 2 right next to greece

[chrysillo]

more recipes? is this a recipe? wtf

[geo10241]

octopus should be cooked without any water first until all moisture is reduced then washed in cold water and boiled

[glitch509]

We love Greece.

A romanian.

[XOUSPA]

@akoukia Pes ta re aderfe!!San tin ELLADA pou8ena re gamwto...

[darrylhaynes]

i love octa...pussy.....lol

[32azaf]

Here you can you find cooking recipes from cyprus

wix.com/cyprusgourmet/index/ho­me