Our beloved Chef Carolina Doriti prepares a delicious dish full of sea! Delicious orzo with octopus, using Wise Greece products, for our new Wise Home Cooking Series. An ideal recipe also for fasting!
Ingredients for 4 portions:
One octopus, approximately 1kg (fresh or frozen and defrosted), cleaned
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 small chili, chopped (optional)
2 bay leafs
280gr Seafood orzo by Dolopia
3-4 tablespoons olive oil + extra to serve
180ml + 1 tbsp Vinsanto or Mavrodaphne wine (you may substitute with a sweet red wine)
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
370ml boiling water
¼ tsp oriental salt Wise Greece Exclusive
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley
Cooking instructions:
First cook the octopus. Place a large saucepan on medium high heat. When, heated up, put in the octopus along with the bay leaf and 1 tbsp wine. Close the lid and bring heat down to low. Do not add water or salt! Octopus boils best in its own juice and it is already salty! Cook for 30 minutes with lid securely closed. Once ready remove from heat. Check how much of the octopus liquid is left in the saucepan because you will need that. Place octopus on a platter or cutting board and let it cool down a little before you start slicing it, and pour the boiling water in the saucepan with the octopus liquid (even if there is slightly any left it will still be strong enough in flavor, so not to worry!)
Place a large pan with a fitted lid on medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and lightly toast the orzo for a couple of minutes until slightly golden.
Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan (add another splash of olive oil if necessary) sauté the onion, garlic and bay leaf for about a minute. Add the celery and chili, if using, and stir. Add in the wine, stir for a second and then add in the cherry tomatoes, the broth and oriental salt, and bring to boil. Add the orzo and gently stir. Cover with the lid, bring the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes checking it in between and stirring it, until it absorbs most of the liquid.
Meanwhile slice the octopus as you prefer, in larger or smaller pieces. Stir in the octopus and gently cook with the orzo for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, add in the parsley and mix gently. Add a generous amount of ground black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.
Products we used:
