Greek Sweet Peas with Octopus (Arakas Laderos)
Seafood with legumes, is there a better combination? Certainly not! This is delicious recipe of soft octopus combined with nutritious peas that results a dish full of aromas. Try it out!
Ingredients
For the octopus:
- 1.5 kg octopus
- 100 ml Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot cut into thin vertical slices
- 1 fennel cut into thin vertical slices
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tbsp peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs thyme
For the peas:
- 1 kg sweet peas
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 100 g carrots finely chopped
- 800 g celery finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 100 ml red wine
- 400 g grated tomato
- 100 ml water
- salt
- pepper
To serve:
- dill
Instructions
For the octopus:
- At the bottom of a wide pot, spread the onion, carrot and fennel. Add the balsamic vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and set aside.
- Pierce the circumference of the octopus tooth with a straight knife and remove it.
- Cut the head of the octopus and cut it in four pieces. Divide the tentacles and place them over the vegetables.
- Sprinkle with a little olive oil, cover the pot with aluminum foil and simmer the octopus over low heat for 1 1/2 hour, until it softens. When ready, remove from heat and set aside.
For the peas:
- While the octopus is being cooked, we can start cooking the peas as well. Place a large pot over medium to high heat and let it heat well. Then add a little olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and sauté until caramelized.
- Once the vegetables are caramelized, add the tomato paste, sauté for 2-3 minutes and add wine. Let the alcohol evaporate, add the peas, tomato, water, salt and pepper and mix.
- Cover the pot with the lid and let the food boil for 20-25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, transfer to a baking dish, add the octopus and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C (360 °F) for 10 to 15 minutes.
- When ready, serve the peas with octopus, sprinkling with some dill.
Notes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!