Octapomacaronada tis trelis tou vounou!!! Macaroni with octopus - GREEK MAMA PROJECT

Recipe: Octapomakaronada (macaroni with octopus)
By: Toula Kontsostathis, Alexandroupolis


Well that's a bit of a mouthful!  Toula who is a very good family friend and also co-owner of Santa Rosa Beach Hotel is a great cook.  Every time I come to Greece I ask her to make me a cuttlefish giouvetsi, sadly this year there were none to be caught.  However her husband Christo did catch a few octopuses hence this dish was served up!  "The crazy woman from the mountain" came about because she felt her hair looked like a wild mess!

 Here is the crazy woman working her magic!

 Cleaning the octopus.

 chopping the octopus

 Sauteeing the vegetables

 ..... and voila the final product served with fresh garden rocket salad!

Octapomakaronada

1 medium to large sliced octopus

1 packet macaroni (1/2 cooked about 5 minutes)

Sauce

1 large onion chopped,

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 red pepper chopped

500g  tomatoes finely chopped

½ cup packed basil chopped

½ cup olive oil

Saute onion, garlic, peppers.  Once soft add tomatoes, salt,  pepper and chili.  Simmer on a low heat.  Once sauce has thickened add octopus and a cup of its own juices. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add macaroni and cook for a further 10 minutes so pasta can soak in the sauce.  Stir in the chopped basil and serve.

Preparation for octopus

Add the whole octopus to the saucepan with a cup of water and simmer with lid on for about 45 minutes or until the octopus is tender.  The octopus will release a lot of liquid. Strain the stock and reserve.  Once the octopus has slightly cooled carefully remove the skin.  This step is not necessary!  Chop into bite sized pieces.

Enjoy!  It is worth it! xxxxx Carol