Azorean Octopus Recipes

Steps:

• "Purple stew" is what someone called this when they inquired about an octopus recipe popular with the Portuguese. The color purple comes in to play when cooks use red wine in the dish instead of white. It is a matter of preference. Day 1 Cut octopus into large pieces, about 2-inches long, and place in a bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients. Turn to coat evenly, cover and chill overnight. (You will notice that I am not instructing you to beat the octopus with a stick to tenderize it. Some Portuguese cooks still do this and you can if you wish.) Day 2 Reserving the marinade, transfer octopus to another separate bowl Pour just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. Fry the onions until golden. There should be a brown caramelized coating on the bottom of the skillet (called a fond by professionals). Add the garlic and parsley. When the garlic is aromatic,toss in the octopus. When it starts to take on some color, recover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it sweat for 30 minutes. It will release a lot of water. Add the potatoes and continue to cook on medium-low for another 30 min. Test the fattest piece. If it is still chewy or tough, let it cook some more (around but not usually over 30 min.) Anytime the liquid looks like it is evaporating, add the reserved marinade in small amounts. Thicken the liquid with a cornstarch slurry. If you overcook it, it will shrink to almost nothing but if you don't cook it enough it will be tough.

Steps:

• In a pasta/stock pot place frozen block of shrimp along with water.
• ***If you are using fresh shrimp be sure to rinse and clean the shrimp before cooking making sure that the shell is still intact.
• Cover shrimp with water and follow remaining instructions for cooking.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• On high heat, place a lid on the top of the pot.
• Allow for block of ice/shrimp to thaw completely.
• Once the shrimp are loose, stir to mix all ingredients well.
• Place heat at a low temperature as to simmer the shrimp for 2 hours.
• This ensures that all the flavors blend well otherwise you may eat them immediately.
• If there are leftovers be sure to refrigerate.
• You can eat them cold or warm them back up in original broth for the next day.
• Enjoy.

Steps:

• Cut the octupus in peaces or if they are small just take out the eyes and the inside of the head.
• Cook the octupus with the wine.
• Pour the olive oil and the other ingredients.
• Let it stand over low heat.
• Add the potatoes and wait until they are cooked.
• You may cook the potatoes with the skin in a separate pan with garlic and red pepper pasete and serve together.
• You may use the same recipe for big squids.