Croatian Octopus Pod Pekom Recipes

CROATIAN OCTOPUS "POD PEKOM"

Steps:

• Use the whole octopus, cut in pieces about 3-5 cm. The best is to use frozen octopus, even if you get fresh one, freeze it - it will be mush softer.
• Take one large pan for baking in oven. Put some olive oil on bottom and than put potato cut thin almost like chips all around the bottom.
• Than put octopus, tomato cut in ¼, onion cut in ¼ , olives, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and on the tom rosemary. Pour the wine and olive oil. Cover with aluminium cover for households preventing steam to get out: very firmly.
• Put in the oven on 200°C for 30-40 minutes.
• It is also very good with large white fish, or you can add shrimps to taste, or whatever sea food you like.

OCTOPUS KILAWEN

Steps:

• Fill an 8-quart stock pot with water, add salt, and sliced ginger roots. Bring water to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes to allow ginger root essence to permeate the water.
• Wash the octopus under running cold water. Invert its head inside out like a sock. Holding the head of the octopus with a pair of tynes, completely submerge the octopus into the boiling water and count 10 seconds -- 1001, 1002, 1003, etc.
• With the tynes still attached to the head of the octopus, lift it out of the stock pot and rest it in a holding pan. Allow water to come to a boil before resubmerging the octopus as in Step 1. Repeat step one 3 times.
• After the third submersion turn the heat down to simmer. Put the octopus into the pot of simmering water, drop 3 pieces of used cork from wine bottles and cover.
• After 10 - 15 minutes, using the tynes pierce the octopus' neck between the head and tentacles. Feel the resistance. If the tynes feel a "crunchy, soft and tender" insertion, it is time to remove the octopus from the pot and let sit in the holding pan to cool.
• Remove the head of the octopus, severing above the tentacles. Slice tentacles individually to the thickness desired. Cut straight across the tentacles. Slicing diagonally makes the cuts tougher to chew. Set the sliced octopus aside.
• To create the cheviche sauce, mince the cilantro leaves, slice very thinly the white portion of the green scallions, and mix it with the rest of the lime juice, vinegar, ginger roots and crushed tomatoes and hot peppers. Season with salt to taste.

CROATIAN OCTOPUS “POD PEKOM”

Steps:

• Use the whole octopus, cut in pieces about 3-5 cm. The best is to use frozen octopus, even if you get fresh one, freeze it - it will be mush softer. Take one large pan for baking in oven. Put some olive oil on bottom and than put potato cut thin almost like chips all around the bottom. Than put octopus, tomato cut in ¼, onion cut in ¼ , olives, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and on the tom rosemary. Pour the wine and olive oil. Cover with aluminium cover for households preventing steam to get out: very firmly. Put in the oven on 200°C for 30-40 minutes. It is also very good with large white fish, or you can add shrimps to taste, or whatever sea food you like.