The intensity of the previous article has exhausted my intellectual capacities and I needed nurishment to recover my strength and composure.
The answer to the question “what do I cook now?” came – as it always does – from the market.
Musky octopus is the poor relative of mighty octopus. And for this reason is a lot cheaper. These days in Athens octopus sells for 14 Euros per kilo, whereas musky octopus sells for 6 Euros per kilo.
A key visual difference between the musky octoppus and its mighty relative is that musky has only one row of suction cups in each of its 8 tentacles, whereas the big relative has two.
Βασική διαφορά μεταξύ του και εύκολα αναγνωρίσιμη είναι ότι τα πλοκάμια του Χταποδιού φέρουν δύο (2) σειρές βεντούζες ενώ του Μοσχιού μια (1) σειρά.
My cooking method is in two stages.
Stage 1 is the simmering of the musky octopi in their own juice. I just place them in a pot without anything, and let them simmer in low heat for about 45 minutes.
While this is happening, I saute onions and garlic in olive oil, and this is the beginning of Stage 2.
When Stage 1 is done, I bring together the octopi and the onion and garlic mix, adding tomato paste, cover the pot and let them intermix for 30 minutes in low heat.
Serve and eat immediately. I like ot sprinkle over the dish chopped coriander.
Enjoy it with a robust white, I prefer assyrtico from Santorini.