Poulpe Provencal Octopus Braised In Tomato And Wine Recipes

POULPE PROVENCAL (OCTOPUS BRAISED IN TOMATO AND WINE)

Steps:

• To clean each octopus, use a small sharp knife and cut each head from the tentacles. Remove the eyes by cutting a round of flesh from the base of each head. To clean the heads, CAREFULLY slit them open and remove the gut. Rinse thoroughly. Cut the heads in half. Push out the beaks from the center of the tentacles from the cut side. Cut the tentacles into sets of four or two, depending on the size of the octopus. Set aside.
• Score a cross in the base of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunge into cold water and peel the skin away from the cross.
• Cut each tomato in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Chop the flesh and set aside.
• Blanch all the octopus in boiling water for 2 minutes, then dain and allow to cool slightly. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and cook the onion for 7-8 minutes until lightly golden.
• Add the octopus and garlic to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the tomatos, wine, saffron and thyme.
• Add just enough water to cover the octopus.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes or until the octopus is tender and the sauce has thickened a little. The cooking time will vary quite a bit depending upon the size of the octopus.
• Season to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with chopped parsley. (We like it at room temp).

GRILLED OCTOPUS IN RED WINE MARINADE

Steps:

• In a large casserole combine octopus, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, salt, pepper, thyme, red wine and water. Bring to a slow boil and simmer 45 minutes, or until octopus is very tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and let octopus cool in its broth.
• Set aside 1 1/3 cups of broth for sauce. When octopus is cool enough to handle, remove it from broth and rub it well to remove purplish skin. Rinse tentacles in broth as they are cleaned. Drain octopus and transfer to a large bowl.
• Make marinade: in a small bowl combine marinade ingredients. Pour over octopus and toss to coat. Marinate, covered and refrigerated, for at least 24 hours, and up to 3 days.
• Make sauce: in a small saucepan combine strained reserved broth, olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Reduce by half over high heat. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in parsley. Keep warm.
• Prepare a charcoal broiler. Drain tentacles and pat dry. Grill 4 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly charred and heated through. Serve 2 tentacles per person, with sauce spooned over, garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.

OCTOPUS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the octopus into a large pot and fill with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer over medium heat until octopus is opaque, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly; cut into bite-size pieces.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, mint leaves, curry powder and mixed spice; cook and stir until onion is soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the octopus pieces, wine, lemon zest and orange zest. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peas, potatoes, olives and bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes and octopus are tender, about 45 minutes.

SPANISH OCTOPUS AND POTATOES - PULPO CON CACHELOS

Steps:

• Freezing octopus tenderizes it. No need to beat it. Blanch the thawed octopus in boiling water for one minute. Drain. Bring another pan of water to a boil with the slice of onion and the bay leaves. Add the octopus and let it cook at a simmer for about one hour. It should be tender, just a little chewy. Remove and let it cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, slide off the pinkish skin and discard. (Optional. Many prefer to leave the skin.)
• Cut the potatoes in half and add them to the same water in which the octopus cooked and cook them until tender. With scissors, cut the octopus into bite size pieces. Arrange them on wooden plates with the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, paprika, garlic, and drizzle with the oil. Serve.

OCTOPUS COOKED IN WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Octopus is usually sold cleaned and tenderized. But here is how you clean it if you have to do it yourself: Cut partway through the muscle which unites the tentacles to the inside of the head and discard all the contents of the head cavity. This involves pulling or cutting out the ink sac, the hard oval "beak," and the gelatinous innards. Turn the head inside out and wash well under running water. Squeeze or cut out the eyes and any cartilage. Remove any scales which may be left on the suckers and wash the octopus thoroughly.
• Blanch the octopus for 5 minutes in boiling water, then drain. Put it in a saucepan with the wine, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and just enough water to cover. Simmer over very low heat for about 1-1 1/2 hours, until tender, adding water to keep it covered. Lift out the octopus and reduce the sauce.
• Cut the octopus into 1-inch slices, and mix with the sauce and the olive oil.
• Serve cold, sprinkled with parsley.

TOMATO-BRAISED OCTOPUS

Steps:

• 1 Check the base of the octopus to see if the hard, round beak has been removed. Squeeze it out if necessary. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the octopus and simmer until tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and dry the octopus, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Cut large octopus into bite-size pieces. 2 In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the octopus, tomatoes, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, the garlic, red pepper, and salt to taste. Stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add a little of the reserved liquid if the sauce becomes too dry. 3 Uncover and cook 15 minutes more, or until the sauce is thick. Serve hot. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES (POULET PROVENCAL)

Steps:

• Preheat convection oven to 400°F or regular oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Toss together tomatoes, onion, olives, sliced garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart shallow baking dish. Push vegetables to sides of dish to make room for chicken.
• Stir together minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining teaspoon herbes de Provence, and remaining tablespoon olive oil.
• Remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry, then rub inside and out with seasoning mixture. Tie legs together with string, then put chicken in baking dish.
• Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour in convection oven; 1 to 1 1/4 hours in regular oven.
• Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and pan juices.

OCTAPODI KOKKINISTO (GREEK OCTOPUS IN TOMATO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Place the octopus pieces into a large saucepan. Cover, and cook over medium-high heat until the octopus has released its juices, 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover, and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced to 3 to 4 tablespoons, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Drizzle the octopus with olive oil, then stir in the onions and bay leaves. Cook and stir until the onions have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the octopus is tender and the sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes. Cook uncovered for the last 10 minutes if the sauce is too thin.