Green Monday's Greek Recipe 2009 - Xtapodi Krasato - Octopus in Wine Sauce

The first day of Lent is known as Clean Monday. It is called "clean" because it marks the start of the lenten period during which our bodies and spirits are "cleansed" to preparefor the Resurrection. It is also called Green Monday as a great variety of greens and vegetables is included in the lenten menu.

Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus, a day of great celebration and traditions.Families take to the beach or countryside for picnics and kite-flying. Children make "Kyra Sarakosti," (Lady Lent), a paper doll with seven legs to represent the seven weeks of Lent. Every week, a leg is cut off to show how many weeks remain until Easter.

Foods during the seven weeks of Lent are fixed according to lenten restrictions. This generally  means no meat or fish except for seafood like calamari, cuttlefish, prawns or octopus. But nothing derived from animals or fish with red blood (no milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, etc.. ) However, Clean Monday has its own traditions, and all over Greece, tables are laid and restaurants stocked with dishes that have been adored for generations.

TODAY'S RECIPE

XTAPODI KRASATO - OCTOPUS IN WINE SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 kilo (2lbs 4 oz) octopus

2 onions finely diced

2-3 ripe tomatoes roughly chopped or 1 tin of peeled tomatoes

3-4 cloves chopped garlic

3 bay leaves

1 teacup olive oil

1 glass red wine

salt, pepper

Directions

1. In a pot lightly sauté the onions and the garlic in the olive oil.

2. Add the octopus whole or cut in small pieces (I added it whole as it wasn't very big) and cook for 10 -15 minutes stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the pot.

3. Pour in the wine, add the tomatoes, the bay leaves, salt and pepper and some warm water.

4. Cook the octopus over low fire for about 1 hour.

The Best Traditional Recipes of Greek Cooking (Editions Haitalis) 

Serve as "ouzomeze" - appetizer with ouzo

  

Comments

[Laura]

I'm glad to see the weather hasn't spoilt your plans, after all. I've never cooked octopus but your recipe sounds quite easy so I'll surprise the family on a Sunday. A much healthier option than roast beef or bangers for instance.

[Walid]

Habebti.
Hello and very good Clean Green Monday I wish you.
I will try this dish on Wednesday cause I will get the octopus on Tuesday from the market .It is a very easy way to cook it .By the way it will be my first time to cook Octopus.
I cooked linties with rice and had a salad with it for lunch .For supper I did some steamed squash Cali flower make them salad.
I will be fasting and having all the vegetarian food for this lent.
God Bless you always be your Guard and your Guide.
With Love Walid.

[Lakis]

It rained a lot on the mountains , especially on Saturday but I loved it! I prefer octopus on the charcoal with ladolemono - olive oil and lemon juice sauce. But I agree, ouzo is great with octopus no matter how you cook it!

[Jeff]

Just a quick hi from work. I love the smell of that octopus!

[Sophia]

I cook the octopus more or less in the same way as you describe but I cut it in small pieces and add some rice as well. It's delicious as a main dish served with a green salad. Otherwise I brush it with some olive oil, cut in pieces and put it on the grill to serve as an appetizer with ouzo or red wine.

[Emma]

Now that's a very healthy and appetizing suggestion. I dont think I have ever eaten octopus but those greens look really tempting!

[Alexia]

I love your recipes Anastasia and I have printed them so that I can try them when I have time off work. What I love most in the greek food is that it is more healthier than our foods where we use a lot of butter and often fresh cream. I noticed that you use a lot the olive oil and vegetables, spices etc. I will certainly try your octopus

[Lisa]

Thank you for this very different way to cook octopus. In Italy we are also cook it very often but usually in a salad after boil. Also I cook it with linguine. I clean it and remove the head and then I boil it, I cut in small pieces and cook it with olive oil, parsly, garlic and tomato sauce Then I cook the linguine al dente and serve them with the octopus sauce over and a lot of parmesan cheese, of course.

[Jeff]

San Francisco's fishermen and their families have been Italian and Portuguese for generations, so it's not surprising that one of our grand dishes is Cioppino. Besides our coastal waters provide a stunning variety of seafood like shrimps, squid, crab, lobster - just perfect for cioppino. It consists of a light, herbal tomato sauce, a nice fish fumet and the couple handfuls of the seafood catch of the day. Add all together in a pot and bring the whole thing gently up to a simmer for a couple minutes. Drop in a last bit of abulone or squid and maybe a last dash of Tabasco and serve with a loaf of bread, a clean sharp salad and a big bottle of red wine.

[Janne]

I likeed your customs with the kite-flying and the paper doll! Must be fun!

[Stefania]

Guess what! This year I have baked my own laganes from a recipe I got from a friend of mine from Greece. It's the first time we've had homemade laganes on Clean Monday. Your octopus recipe sounds a piece of cake. I'll try it.

[Constantinos]

I was away for a few days thus prolonging the holiday weekend. It was nice to get a few days off work and spend time with friends and family. Galaxidi is beautiful at this time of year and we were lucky to have some sunny weather. The kids flew their kites and , naturally, we had a very big meal on Monday including fasolia gigantes that my sister-in-law had cooked. Yours look just as delicious on the photo.