Xtapodi

When I’m out ‘Hunting’ in the supermarket (Read loitering by the Yellow Sticker fridge!) I sometimes have a mooch past the Fish counter in the hope of picking something discounted or interesting up. I had a double score day a while ago, discounted and interesting / different! A complete Octopus. If you are going to tackle disassembling an Octopus at home, try not to burst the Ink Sack, it will save you a good deal of cleaning!

Ingredients:-

1 Whole Octopus
3 Tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
120ml of White Wine (£1 from Home Bargains! - Probably dreadful to drink, but good for cooking!)
2 Tbsp of Honey
3 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tomatoes Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
Olive Oil
2 Bay Leave
2 Onions, sliced
Ground Black Pepper
Oil to fry
Fresh Parsley, to garnish

Method:-

(1) Prepare the Octopus by removing the innards and the ‘Beak’. Separate the tentacles and cut the body into rings.
(2) In a pan add the tentacles, Red Wine Vinegar, White Wine and Bay leaves.
(3) Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 40 minutes.
(4) When cooked but still slightly crunchy drain and reserve the liquid.
(5) In a frying pan fry the Tentacles for a minute to crisp.
(6) Add the Onions, Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Garlic.
(7) Allow to cook for 5 minutes until the Onions have caramelized.
(8) De-glaze with the Balsamic Vinegar and pour in the reserved liquid.
(9) Stir in the Honey and season with Black Pepper.
(10) Cook over a low heat for 3 minutes and serve garnished with fresh Parsley.

We battered the body rings and made Octopus Calamari as a side dish. We served ours over think Rice noodles, garnished with fresh Parsley and Lemon wedges. Very tasty indeed.