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Pico-Style Octopus Stewed in Red Wine
Pico-style octopus stew: octopus cooked in its own juices with onion, garlic, bay, chilli and tomato, then simmered slowly in red wine until meltingly tender.
- 4 servings
- 20 min
- 1h25
- Easy
Octopus stewed in wine is one of the dishes most closely linked to the island of Pico. The octopus is not boiled first: it goes into the pot raw, releases its own liquid and finishes cooking in red wine, ideally Azorean vinho de cheiro, which makes the sauce dark and rich.
Every household has its own seasoning, but the base stays the same: onion, garlic, bay leaf, tomato and a touch of chilli. Serve it with boiled potatoes, cornbread (bolo de milho), bread or plain rice to mop up the sauce.
Method
Cut the octopus into pieces and leave it to drain well in a colander.
In a wide heavy pan, melt the lard with the olive oil and gently soften the onion and garlic with the bay leaf until lightly golden.
Add the octopus, chilli and tomato paste, stir well and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring now and then, so the octopus releases its juices.
Pour in the red wine without quite covering the octopus. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, until tender, adding a little more wine if needed.
For the last few minutes, lay the tied parsley on top of the stew.
Remove the parsley and bay leaf, taste, and only then add salt.
Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley, with boiled potatoes, cornbread, bread or plain rice.
Tips
- Freezing the octopus for at least a day before cooking helps make it tender.
- Vinho de cheiro is the aromatic Azorean red made from American hybrid grapes. Elsewhere, use a young, fruity red.
- It can also be made with white wine and a cinnamon stick instead of red; don't add water, as the octopus releases plenty of liquid.
- Taste before salting: octopus is naturally salty.
- If you'd like the potatoes cooked in the stew, add them in large chunks when the octopus is almost tender.
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