What I cooked in April and May

Little time to cook in April but I finally mastered a Greek red wine braised octopus stew: Htapodi Kokkinisto me Patates (Χταπόδι Κοκκινιστό με Πατάτες). Since the result was so perfect I have to post the recipe.

Cut the octopus into 5 large pieces. Cut the thinner part of the legs into a bit longer pieces. I used four tentacles (600 gram). Rinse the octopus. Add the octopus to a medium-sized cooking pot.

Add a couple of diced onions, bay leaf, 150 ml wine, and 300 ml water to the pot. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Partly cover the pot. Simmer for about an hour until the octopus is tender.

Add less than 1 tablespoon tomato paste, black pepper, 6 tablespoons olive oil, and two potatoes, and drop the heat to medium-low. Since the octopus is salty because of the sea water, I didn’t add additional salt. I used potatoes from the Wadden Sea area, which were lightly salty as well.

Simmer until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce is thickened. It takes about 30-40 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot every now and then, so the food won't stick at the bottom.

Serve with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Nigerian Bitterleaf soup (Ofe Onugbu)

I did visit a Nigerian restaurant for an Igbo classic: Ofe Onugbu. The bitter leaf is Vernonia amygdalina, a member of the daisy family. The soup is made by boiling larges pieces of meat: pork, pork skin, goat and shaki (tripe) and dried stockfish. When everything is soft, crayfish or smoked shrimp can be added. Palm oil and cocoyam is then added until dissolved. For savoury umami flavour Ogiri Okpei (castor seeds) are added and finally the biter leafs, which should not be overcooked.

It is served with a “swallow”. I forgot to ask if mine was made of yam, cassave or plantain. I’m guessing it was not plantain which is what I had in Harlem, New York. You eat the soup with your hands.