Octopus with Tomatoes and Red Wine
Instructions:
- Don’t let the prep time scare you away from this dish.
Once you get things rolling, you really can walk away.
Better still, cook the whole thing a few hours before you
plan to serve it since timing octopus can be unpredictable.
To prepare it even further in advance, work
through Step 1; be sure to let the octopus cool, wrap it
well, and refrigerate it. For a bigger dish, stir in Crisp
Panfried Potatoes at the last moment.
Other seafood you can use: conch.
- One 2- to 3-pound octopus, cleaned and rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed, plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 10 fennel seeds
- 3 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks (6 or 8 drained canned plum tomatoes are fine)
- 2 cups dry red wine
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fennel, parsley, or basil leaves
- In a large saucepan, combine the octopus, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn the heat down to medium, and simmer until the octopus is nearly tender, 1 hour or more (poke it with a sharp, thin-bladed knife; when the knife enters fairly easily, the octopus is ready). Drain the octopus in a colander, reserving the liquid.
- Raise the heat to high and reduce the liquid until just about 1 cup remains, about 20 minutes.
- Cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces. Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the octopus and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and lower the heat to medium. Cook and stir until the onion softens a bit, 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add the thyme, fennel seeds, and tomatoes and stir. Cook for 1 minute, then add the wine. Raise the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes. Add the reduced octopus stock; bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook until the liquid is reduced to a sauce (raise the heat if the octopus becomes very tender but too much liquid remains), about 20 minutes. Add the minced garlic, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add half the chopped fennel leaves and stir. Garnish with the remaining herbs and serve.