Recipe: Octopus stew, Ribeira do Chão style from Portugal: The Cookbook
Personally, I love the most unusual flavour pairing of octopus with cinnamon. For me, it works really well. This stew is wonderful served with rice.
- 1kg octopus, cleaned
- 60g lard
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1tbs Massa de Pimentão
- 1tbs tomato purée
- ½tsp ground cinnamon
- 400ml vinho de cheiro
- 400ml white wine
- 500g waxy potatoes, quartered
- Sea salt
Cut the octopus into small pieces and wash it in cold running water to remove the slime, then put the octopus into a large bowl. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, then pour the water over the octopus and leave to stand for 20 minutes, or until the water cools down, then strain.
(I prefer octopus to retain some texture, but if you prefer it to be smooth and creamy, then cook it for longer in a saucepan of boiling water until the desired texture is achieved.) Set aside.
Put the lard, onion and garlic into another saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the octopus, then stir in the Massa de Pimentão, tomato purée, cinnamon, both wines and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes. Check the tenderness of the octopus and, when it is nearly cooked, add the potatoes and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and octopus are soft.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary, before serving.
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