Οctopus with eggplants and magna flavourings

Category: Αppetizer – Main dish (according to preference)
(Traditional dish of Epanomi)

Ingredients for 1 portion:

1. 120 – 150 gr. 1 tentacle of boiled octopus
2. 1 item of eschalot onion
3. 1 clove of garlic
4. 4 items of sun-dried tomatoes
5. 20 gr. piri piri without sugar
6. 100 gr. eggplant
7. 30 ml tomato vinegar
8. 2 items of sweet and sour white onions
9. salt (preferable quantity)
10. Cacao pepper aniseed-maniguette pepper (preferable quantity)
11. 8 items of chilli rings
12. fresh radish
13.  rock chive shoots
14. Red vein sorel
15. red radicchio
16. For the octopus boiling
    1. 100 ml Aceto Balsamico Di Modena
    2. 1 item of star anise
    3. 1 item of bay leaves whole
    4. pepper black ” Lampong” whole (preferable quantity)

Preparation time: 1 hour for preparation + 10 minutes for instructions

Instructions:

1. For the boiling of an 2-3 kg octopus:
   1. Boil the octopus along with: Aceto Balsamico, star anise, bay leaves whole and pepper black “lampong” whole for 45 – 60 minutes, depending on its size.
   2. Cool it down, clean it and put it in the refrigerator, until using its tentacle.
2. Brunoise in medium size the eggplant, fry it slightly, until it browns and remove it ton an absorbent paper.
3. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes without drain them off, the onion and the garlic and saute in a non-stick pan in moderate heat, until the onion gets soft,without extra oily substance.
4. Cut the octopus, add salt and saute with the rest of the ingredients.
5. Decrease the heat by pouring the tomato vinegar and add the eggplants as long as the piri piri without sugar. Cook it until it gets frosted, (maybe it needs a little bit of water, depending on the boiling of the octopus), remove the garlic and add the chopped parsley as well as the cacao pepper aniseed-maniguette pepper and lower the heat.
   1. For the decoration:
   2. Cut the sweet and sour white onions across the middle and use the blowtorch, until they are caramelized.
   3. Add the radish in slices, the chilli rings and the shoots.
   4. Sprinkle with extra olive oil and serve out.

Enjoy your meal….

Special credits to Athos restaurant for their hospitality.

Chef: Giannis Mouladakis

With this recipe, the products of Magna carta, enable us to approach an old recipe from the place that we loved. They enable us
to desconstruct her, to modify her with respect and to offer the homemade
flavour and warmth  of a slowly cooked dish, in ala minute instructions.

“Chef is like the marmite…he boils powerfully ideas and quantity in his first steps…as the time passes, half of the liquid is absorbed, settled and
strengthened….”