Pickled octopus (Photos by George Poniris)

INGREDIENTS

1 dozen precooked baby octopus or a 1 or 2 large frozen Octopus 

6 cloves of Garlic

1 dried or fresh hot chile pepper

1 dozen cracked black peppercorns

1 T. dried oregano

1 thinly Sliced lemon with skin 

2 cups red wine vinegar

Olive oil to top off the jar

1 - 2 clean, quart-sized canning jar with lid

PREPARATION

Wash Octopus very well taking away the eyes and the mouth

Place in a sauce pan whole and cover the lid and cook over low heat for about an hour and let it cook in its own juices until Octopus is tender and has changed colour  

In a dry saute pan, toast the dried chile (do not do this with the fresh chile if you're going that route) and the black pepper over medium-high heat until everything is fragrant.

When Octopus has cooked take out on a chopping board and let I cool then chop in small bite size pieces and place in sterile glass jars and pore in vinegar and spices including a couple of fresh garlic gloves and add more dried oregano and the sliced lemons pore some good olive oil on top to cover all Octopus pieces. 

 Once you have the cooked octopi -- and they do not need to be baby ones, although I like the baby ones best because they are more tender -- all you do is set them in a quart-sized canning jar to rest while you make the pickling brine.

Making the pickling brine.

Shift all the spices, including the oregano,  and the fresh chile if using, into a pot large enough to contain the vinegar. Pour the vinegar over the spices and bring to a boil.

Once the vinegar is at a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Let it steep until it's room temperature, about an hour or so. Then pour it over the octopi in the jar. Make sure it covers them all; use fresh red wine vinegar if you need more.

Top everything off with a good olive oil -- do not let any part of the octopus stick through the top of the oil, or it will rot.

When cooled place in the refrigerator. It will keep in the fridge for over  3 months if it's sealed correctly! 

This is an easy dish to make, once you have cooked the octopus.

If you want to make sure they are sealed properly you can also place closed jars upside down in a sauce pan fill with water  cover the lid and let it cook on slow for at least 4 hours then let them sit in the hot water until it's cooled then put in the refrigerator it will have a longer 

Wait at least a week before you eat them. They are fantastic with crusty bread and hard liquor or beer, especially on a hot day. My favorite accompaniment? Either ouzo, a Greek anise-flavored liquor, or Italian limoncello over ice.