Baby Octopus And Mac....Celebrating Election Day In Greece And France!!

This is the first time I ever eat (and cook) baby octopus. In my opinion fishermen must not fish octopus (octopi or octopuses choose which ever is correct) when it is so small. It becomes even smaller when it is cooked.  Octopus should be left to grow to be at least 2 to 3 kg. This is the perfect size to use for this recipe or dry it in the sun then grill it for ouzo meze, or to braise it in wine or vinegar.

Whole Octopus Being Dried Under The Warm Sun Of Greece. Courtesy of Google.

Octopus Tentacles Being Dried In The Sun. Courtesy Of Google

It is so beautiful to have lunch at a seaside taverna wearing your bathing suit, where a typical Greek mother is frying fresh sardines, the husband charcoal grilling the octopus tentacles, the daughter preparing a nice Horiatiki Salata (Greek salad) with Feta, and the son serving tables the food, the retsina (Greek resinated wine) or Greek Fix, Mythos beer.

 Today we are having baby octopus with macaroni prepared as follows.
Serves 4
- 1 kg of gutted frozen baby octopus, thawed and washed well.
-  250 gr macaroni.
- 1 onion chopped.
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped.
- 35 gr of tomato paste.
- 250 gr of chopped tomatoes in their juice.
- 250 gr of tomato juice.
-  1 star anise.
-  ½ cup of Greek dry white wine.

-  2 Tbsp.of our organic Greek extra virgin olive oil from Kalamata.
-  No salt (the octopus has enough salt from the sea)
-  2 hot chili peppers chopped.
Method:
- Dissolve all the tomatoes in 1,250 liters of boiling water.
-  Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.
-  Stir fry onion and garlic on high heat till onion is translucent and the delicious aroma of the onion/garlic fills the air.
-  Add chili peppers and stir for 1 minute more.
-  Add the baby octopus till they stiffen.
-  Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes at very low heat.
-  Turn heat to high, add the wine and stir till all alcohol evaporates.

-  Add the macaroni, and the water with the tomato.
-  Lower heat, cover and let macaroni cook or till most of the water is absorbed about 10 minutes.

Serve as a main course with a Greek salad on the side.
Enjoy!
Stelio