Octopus And Potatoes With Olives And Chile Recipes

OCTOPUS AND POTATOES WITH OLIVES AND CHILE

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Generously cover with cold water in a medium saucepan and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer, partially covered, until just tender, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is just tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add vinegar and cook until most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in potatoes, beans, octopus, tapenade, and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water and cook until just heated through. Remove from heat. Add more cooking water to moisten if necessary. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with olive oil.

OCTOPUS AND POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse the octopus well under cold water and clean the sac, making sure to get rid of any grit. Flip the octopus over and look for the beak (the dark, hard, crusty shell-like bit) and scoop out with a paring knife. Add the beak and octopus to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and then lower to medium-high heat and cook until the octopus is fork tender, about 40 minutes. Drain and let cool, and then cut into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, peel your potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces and cover with cold water in another pot. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Combine the octopus, potatoes, olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the black olives and parsley to finish.

OCTOPUS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Simmer octopus in water to cover until nearly tender, for 1 hour or more (check with point of sharp knife). Add potatoes, and cook 10 to 20 minutes longer or until tender.
• Remove potatoes to platter (wood is traditional), and octopus to cutting board. Cool octopus for a couple minutes; cut into bite-size pieces. Combine with potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika, drizzle with plenty of olive oil and toss gently. Top with salt, and serve.

WARM OCTOPUS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Put the octopus in a pot with water to cover; add the bay leaves, thyme, and garlic. Turn the heat to medium, cover, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers slowly and cook until the octopus is nearly tender, 30 to 90 minutes (check with the point of a sharp knife). Add the potatoes to the water and cook for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and discard everything but the octopus and potatoes.
• Transfer the potatoes to a platter (wood is traditional) and the octopus to a cutting board. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then cut it into bitesized pieces. Add to the potatoes, sprinkle with paprika, drizzle with plenty of olive oil, and toss gently. Sprinkle with salt and serve.