Ingredients
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1.5 kg cleaned Octopus from one of the Blue Island Fish Markets
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10 tablespoons olive oil
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1 large onion, finely chopped
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4-5 spring onions, finely chopped
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1 clove garlic, finely chopped
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1 1/2 cups Orzo pasta (Kritharaki) medium
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1/2 cup dry white wine
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Salt
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Pepper
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5 cups hot water
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1 cup of juice from the octopus
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1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
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1 Zest of a lemon
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Star anise
Instructions
Purchase the cleaned Octopus from one of the Blue Island Fish Markets.
For the Octopus:
Let a saucepan get very warm over a high heat. When it is good and hot, put the octopus in whole. It will immediately start oozing liquid; it will boil in this liquid.
Reduce the heat to minimum and cover with the lid of the pan.
Leave the octopus to keep oozing liquid for about 30 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Take the octopus out of the pan, strain it through a fine colander saving a cup of the stock.
Cut the tentacles into small pieces. Cut the hood in half, remove the inner membranes and chop it up into small pieces.
For the Orzo octopus:
Heat half the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and spring onions, and the garlic over a medium heat, until starting to get shiny but not changing colour. Add the orzo pasta and stir.
Add the octopus, stir and then douse with the wine. Let the alcohol evaporate for about 4-5 minutes. Add the octopus broth, hot water, salt and pepper. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.
Add 2 cups of hot water, salt and pepper, then reduce the heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon.
Once the orzo absorbs the first lot of water and starts to swell, add 3 more cups of hot water, parsley, lemon zest and anise. Continue stirring gently, always over a low heat.
When the orzo has absorbed the water and starts to soften, let the orzo boil for about 5 more minutes, constantly stirring.
Bon appétit!
