Toula's Octopus

(Bruce) Tony Hubbard's Note:

This came to me from friends of ours in Volos, at the foot of Mount Pelion in east central Greece. It could be served as meze (appetiser) or as the main dish, either way, there is no simpler dish to prepare. It is a bit like Evelyn's version, but even simpler. One difference is that personally I do not remove the suckers and membrane before serving. It is very healthy (pure protein) and very easy.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 kg octopus
• 1 cup olive oil (should be Greek oil)
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Clean the octapus (my fishmonger does this for me), separate the sack from the body and cut away and discard the portion with the eyes (unless your finshmonger does this). Make sure the suckers are perfectly clean, running them under running water and using a vegetable brush. This is easy but time-consuming.
2. Once that is done, just put all the ingredients into a pan, cover and cook slowly over a low heat until it is tender, so that you can easily insert a paring knife.
3. Cut it all up into bite-sized portions and serve.
4. It goes well with the contrast of a Greek lettuce salad (maroulisatata): just one cos (or in USA romaine) lettuce and a bunch of spring onions (scallions/'kremmydakia'), very finely sliced and finely chopped dill (freeze dried dill will do); dress with salt, olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.