Octopus rice

This is a typical Portuguese meal, very simple but very tasty. The octopus becomes very soft (not chewy) and infuses the rice with its wonderful flavors.

 

Serves 3-4

Adapted from here.

200 g / 7 oz short rice
600 g / 21 oz frozen octopus
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
200 g / 7 oz tomato, peeled and chopped
1 red or green pepper, sliced or chopped
1/3 cup red wine
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

Preparation

1.    The day before, place the frozen octopus in the fridge to defrost overnight. In the next day, rinse well with fresh water. Place it in a pan with a whole (peeled) onion and a little bit of water (about ½ cup) and cook at low-medium heat until the onion is cooked. The octopus will be perfectly cooked at the same time as the onion.

2.    Reserve the cooking water and cut the octopus into chunks.

 

3.    Finely chop the other onion and the garlic cloves. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic and the onion until soft and translucent. Add the peeled and chopped tomatoes, as well as the red or green pepper, mixing well.

4.    Add the reserved cooking water from the octopus (and a little water if necessary), calculating 3 times the volume of the rice. Add the red wine and, as soon as it boils, add the rice and let it cook for 18-20 min.

5.    When the rice is almost cooked, add the octopus and mix well. Adjust seasoning. Serve.

This rice is best served imediately, while it still has some liquid, as you can see in the pictures.
Hope you enjoy it!