Baked Octopus with Potatoes – Polvo Assado com Batatas
Baked Octopus is a must have at Christmas Eve at my home. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of cooking octopus because it’s relatively easy to prepare.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
2 -3 pounds of octopus
1 large onion
1 large onion (chopped)
2 pounds of small round potatoes (washed and dry)
1 large red bell pepper (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
½ cup of olive oil
¼ cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
Parsley for garnish
Olive oil and vinegar for garnish
1 bunch of Broccoli Rabe
Preparation:
If our octopus is frozen, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator in a big bowl. It has a lot of water, so have a bowl big enough to hold the water.
1. Bring enough water in large pan to a boil with 1 large onion. When ready to cook, rinse the octopus with very cold water and remove the beak. You can just cut the head off and discard it. I use the head by chopping into little pieces and use it in omelets, rice, seafood dishes or as a salad.
2. Grab the octopus by the head and dip the tentacles slightly into the boiling water, remove and dip again in the water 2 more times.
3. Put the octopus into the boiling water and let cook on medium heat for 30 minutes or longer until the octopus is tender. (test by cutting a little piece off the tentacle)
Note: You don’t want to over cook since it will be too mushy.
4. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a deep baking dish and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with ½ of the raw chopped onion and ½ cup olive oil and cook at 400 F for about 30 minutes shaking the pan once in a while.
5. Saute remaining chopped onion, red pepper, garlic, and bay leaf in ¼ cup olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for a minute. Set aside.
6. When octopus is cooked, drain and place in the pan with the potatoes and cover with pan juices. Add the cooked onions. Cook at 350 degrees F until the potatoes are fully cooked and the flavors are well incorporated.
To serve, cut the tentacles into serving portions of about 1 or 2 to each person. Serve with the potatoes, onions and peppers. Garnish with parsley, olive oil and vinegar if desired.
Broccoli Rabe: Rinse, cut off thick stems and cook in boiling salted water for at least 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and serve with more chopped onions garlic and olive oil. Serve over the octopus or on the side.
My husband made this dinner this evening – with small octopi – and it was delicious. Thanks for such a tasty recipe.
UAUUU!!! Adorei não só pelas belas receitas, mas também pela simpática a presentação…
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Uma boa continuação de receitas esplêndidas…