Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors
November 3, 2011 I could never resist any cuisine with Mediterranean elements. San Francisco's very own Kokkari Estiatorio just released their new cookbook, Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors, and I was intrigued by a lot of their classic dishes, such as the Grilled Sardines with Garlic & Cumin, Braised Lamb Shanks and Baklava Ice Cream.
I'm gonna be busy this winter trying out their recipes. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of tinkering with this one below. We love octopus in our household so this is definitely a must-try.
George's Grilled Octopus with Lemon & Olive Oil
Octopodaki tou Yiorgou
There’s no reason to shy away from cooking octopus at home. It is as easy as boiling a chicken. Every waterfront restaurant in Greece prepares it in this simple manner, first simmering it until tender, then searing it on the grill. George Marcus loves the dish so much, we put his name on it. If you buy a fresh octopus, ask the fishmonger to clean it for you by removing all the viscera from the head. Frozen octopus is cleaned before freezing.
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 strips lemon zest, each about 1 inch wide
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cleaned fresh or thawed frozen octopus, head on, 6 to 8 pounds
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup Kokkari Dressing
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Put the vinegar, lemon peel, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme in a large nonreactive pot. Add the octopus, cover, and place over high heat with no additional liquid. The octopus will sizzle at first but quickly release a lot of water. Cook until the skin turns purple and the octopus shrinks by about one-third, about 10 minutes.
Add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then add 1 tablespoon salt. Place an inverted plate inside the pot to keep the octopus submerged; if necessary, weigh down the plate with a small saucepan filled with water. Adjust the heat to maintain the merest simmer and cook until the tentacles are tender when pierced at the thickest part, about 2 hours. Taste the broth for salt. Let the octopus cool in the broth.
Remove the octopus from the cooking broth and cut off the head (reserve for another use, such as a marinated seafood salad). Cut the remainder into 8 whole tentacles. Rub off any loose skin but try to leave most of the skin intact for flavor. Refrigerate the tentacles until cold, which will help keep the skin intact during grilling.
Rub the tentacles all over with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until heated through and charred in spots, about 3 minutes. Cut the tentacles crosswise into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a large bowl and add the dressing and lemon juice. Toss well and taste for seasoning. Transfer to a platter and serve hot. Serves 8.
Kokkari Dressing
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and minced
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried wild Greek oregano, crumbled
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, capers, shallot, garlic, parsley, and fresh oregano. Add the dried oregano and whisk in salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 1/2 cup.
Recipe republished with permission from Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors, by Erik Cosselmon and Janet Fletcher; Copyright 2011 by Chronicle Books; Photos by Sara Remington.
Available at Amazon.com and ChronicleBooks.com.
For editorial consideration, a review book copy was provided for this post.
Reader Comments (4)