Arroz de Polvo - Octopus Rice (Aug. 2024 update)

Original Algarve recipe clipped from www.recipesource.com

Ingredients

 ( use proportions below as a guideline, this time I was lucky to find those Beauties @Costco, but still used a similar proportion, see values in () for what I have used last"

• 600 to 800 g octopus (used 2.5Kg)
• 200 mL red wine (250ml)
• little water to make it up to 600 ea mL 
• 150 mL olive oil (200ml)
• a chopped onion (1 1/2 large onions)
• 2 garlic cloves (2 minced cubes from Trader's Joe)
• 3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped (used 3 large heirlooms)
• a large green pepper cut into snips (used 3, yellow, orange, red)
• salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste (no pepper or chilli powder but used bay leaves and green onions)
• 350 g rice (preferable a short-grain risotto rice like arborio) (made 6 rice cooker portions)
• Makes 4 servings (served 7-8 people)

• Cooking instructions:  
• On a large pot, boil water, add salt and once boiling, insert one whole octopus into the pot (legs first) Be careful since octopus is very slippery and you don't want it dropped in the pot and suddenly create a huge splash of boiling water !
• Let the water fully boil again, and let the octopus boiling for 2-3 mins
• Remove it from the boiling water (carefully again) and repeat with the all other octopus left, you can use the same water, no need to change
• Discard that water after completing the process for all the octopus you have
• Let it cool a little and cut off each of the legs, and the head
• Pre-cook the octopus meat (full legs and head) on boiling wine and water (proportions describe above), add bay leaf and little salt. simmer the octopus in the wine/water/condiments for 30 minutes. The octopus will exude liquid so that you are likely to end up with more cooking liquid at the end.
• Take the octopus meat out of the pot and let it cool down, make sure you retain all the "octopus soup" liquid, since you will use this 2nd boiling bath on your rice
• Cut the drained octopus into small pieces.
• Heat 150 mL olive oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook gently, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the garlic (if cloves finely chopped), the tomatoes (skinned chopped), and the bell peppers (cut into snips). Season to taste with salt, pepper and/or chilli powder, green onions, etc.  Cook for a few minutes longer.
• Add the washed but drained rice, mix with all other ingredients so the olive oil will form a coat around the rice
• Transfer that into a rice cooker (easier process) or pot where you will be cooking the rice
• Use the cooking liquid from the octopus to deglaze the pan you have used, and pour that into the rice cooker/cooking pan
• Boil the octopus with the onion, garlic, salt, bay leaf, salt and wine so the octopus gets some more taste before cutting it into pieces and adding to the onions and tomatoes and herbs that will cook together with the rice!
•   if not using a rice cooker, you can follow instructions below: 
•     - Add the cooking liquid from the octopus and bring it to the boil. Add 350 g rice (preferable a short-grain risotto rice like arborio) and bring back to the boil, then turn the heat very low and put the lid on the saucepan. After 15 minutes, stir to ensure the rice is not catching on the bottom of the saucepan.  In 5 minutes more, taste a grain or two to make sure it is  soft.  The rice should still be quite damp.