Octopus in Pasta Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pre‑cooked octopus about 700 g (possibly frozen, not canned)
• 15 tbsp vinegar
• 2 onions
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1 large can of tomatoes
• 1 small bell pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 125 ml red wine
• salt, freshly ground pepper
• dried oregano
• 2 Bay leaves
• 350 g pasta (small macaroni or other short noodles)
• 1 tbsp margarine (or butter)
• 4 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp grated Kefalotyri

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean the octopus body and tentacles carefully. Place the octopus in a pot, add 1 cup of water and vinegar, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated; this takes about an hour. Then cut the octopus into pieces roughly 1 cm long, allowing the ends of the tentacles to be longer if desired.

2. 2.

   Peel the onions and slice them thinly. Peel the garlic and slice it thinly. Cut the canned tomatoes into small pieces. Wash, deseed, and chop the bell pepper into small pieces.

3. 3.

   Heat oil in a pot and lightly brown the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes with their liquid and the pepper pieces. Add the octopus pieces and steam for 10 minutes.

4. 4.

   Deglaze the pot with wine and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Place the bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour until a thick sauce forms; add more water if needed.

5. 5.

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F). Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and let it drain well.

6. 6.

   Grease a fire‑proof dish with margarine or butter and line with breadcrumbs. Arrange the pasta in the dish, spread the octopus with its sauce on top without stirring. Sprinkle cheese over it. Bake for about 30 minutes until the bottom layer of pasta is crispy.