Aegean Island Chtapodi me Kritharaki (Χταπόδι με Κριθαράκι)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •heavy wide lidded pot, 28 to 30cm
• •heatproof jug for measuring the reserved octopus liquor
• •fine sieve for straining the liquor

Instructions

1. 1

   Tenderize the octopus

   Rinse the octopus well and check that the beak has been removed. Set it in a heavy lidded pot with 1 bay leaf, no salt, and no added water at first. Cover and cook over low heat until it releases its purple liquor, about 10 minutes, then keep it at a quiet simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, turning once, until a knife slips into the thickest tentacle with only a little resistance. If the pot looks dry before the octopus is tender, add 100ml hot water.

   Frozen octopus is not a shame here. Greek cooks often freeze it on purpose because the flesh softens more reliably.
2. 2

   Save the liquor

   Lift the octopus to a board and let it cool just enough to handle. Strain the cooking liquor into a jug, then add enough hot water to make 650ml total. Cut the tentacles and head into 3 to 4cm pieces. Taste the liquor before you salt anything. Octopus brings the sea with it.

3. 3

   Soften the onion

   Wipe out the pot if there is grit in the bottom. Add 60ml of the olive oil and the onion, then cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and sweet, not browned. This is the quiet base of the sauce.

4. 4

   Toast the kritharaki

   Add the kritharaki to the onion and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until the grains are shiny and a few turn pale gold at the edges. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, the second bay leaf, and black pepper, and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, scraping the pot. Toasting the kritharaki first keeps the grains separate while they drink the sauce. This is the step that saves the dish from heaviness.

5. 5

   Simmer together

   Add the grated tomatoes, the 650ml combined octopus liquor and hot water, and the cut octopus. Bring to a lively simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, especially at the bottom and corners of the pot. The kritharaki should be just shy of tender and the sauce should still look a little loose. Add hot water in 50ml splashes if the pot tightens too quickly.

6. 6

   Rest and finish

   Take the pot off the heat, cover it, and let it rest for 10 minutes. The kritharaki will finish cooking in the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then stir in the remaining 30ml olive oil, the parsley, and the vinegar if the tomato tastes flat. Taste for salt only now. Serve warm from the pot, glossy and spoonable.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cleaned octopus if you can, and choose frozen without apology. What you should avoid is pre-boiled octopus for this dish, because you need its cooking liquor for the sauce.
• •Salt late. Between the octopus liquor, the tomato paste, and reduction, the pot can season itself more than you expect.
• •Kritharaki thickens as it sits. If leftovers tighten in the refrigerator, loosen them in a pot with a splash of hot water and a thread of olive oil.
• •No cheese on this plate. Set out horta, country bread, and a sharp salad, and let the octopus have its own voice.
• •On oil-and-wine days of the Orthodox fast, octopus has a place on the table because it is treated separately from fish in Greek practice. The dish is dairy-free without asking anyone to rearrange it.

Advance Preparation

• •Thaw frozen octopus in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking.
• •The octopus can be simmered and cut 1 day ahead. Chill the pieces and reserved liquor separately, then finish the kritharaki just before serving.
• •Grate the tomatoes up to 6 hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 540g)