Octopus Stifado ? ??????? ???????

Al classic dish of the Greek Cuisine and a must during lent. The Stifado with Octopus is one of my favourite Greek dishes. Stifado can be made with chicken, lamb, or veal but the verison with octopus is the most delicious, at least for me.

Let your fish dealer prepare the octopus. Place the octopus in a pot that fits it easily ant place a lid on top. Do not add any water and bring to boil on low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Take the octopus out and let it cool down on a plate. Save the juices in the pot for later.

Use the same pot to fry the peeled small onions in olive oil until they have some colour. Add the sugar after a few minutes. Let it caramelize then add the vinegar. A thick sauce will develop on the bottom of the pot. Now add the bay leaves, the cinnamon, the chili, salt and pepper. Cut the tomato into the pot, add the tomato paste and a glass of white wine as well as the liquid form boiling the octopus. cover and let it boil for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cut the octopus into small pieces. Then add the octopus to the pot and let is cook on very low heat for 40 minutes, the pot not covered so it thickens.

Tip: To store it I remove the cinnamon stick. It may turn a bit bitter when kept for a while.