Octopus & pasta bake

Name: Octopus & pasta bake
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 2 octopuses, total weight about 675–800 g/1½–1¾ lb, cleaned; 150 ml/¼ pint/⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 large onions, sliced; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 fresh red or green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced; 1 fresh red or green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced; 1–2 bay leaves; 5 ml/1 tsp dried oregano; 2–3 whole allspice (optional); 5 cm/2 in piece of cinnamon stick; 30 ml/2 tbsp tomato paste diluted in 300 ml/½ pint/1¼ cups warm water; 175 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup red wine; ground black pepper; 30 ml/2 tbsp tomato paste diluted in 300 ml/½ pint/1¼ cups warm water; 225 g/8 oz/2 cups dried penne or small macaroni-type pasta; 300 ml/½ pint/1¼ cups boiling water, if needed; 45 ml/3 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish (optional); 225 g/8 oz/2 cups dried penne or small macaroni-type pasta

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food & Cooking of Greece

By Rena Salaman

Published 2023

About

Htapothi me makaronaki is a slow-cooked combination of octopus and pasta in a spicy tomato sauce, and is quite an everyday affair in Greece although when we make it for our English friends it causes a sensation. It is just a simple fisherman’s dish, which could also be made with cuttlefish instead.

Ingredients

2 octopuses, total weight about 675–800 g/1½–1¾ lb, cleaned
150 ml

Europe
Greece
Fish course
Pescatarian
Mediterranean
Winter

Method

Rinse the octopuses well, making sure that there is no sand left in the suckers. Cut them into large cubes and place the pieces in a heavy pan over a low heat. Cook gently; they will produce some liquid, the colour of the flesh will change and they will eventually become bright scarlet. Keep turning the pieces of octupus with a wooden spatula until all the liquid has evaporated.

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