Pasta, one of the most eclectic delicacies of traditional and modern Greek cuisine, creates an unrepeatable taste when accompanied by octopus.
The origin of pasta is accompanied by myths but also many contradictions. One of the most well-known refers to the introduction of pasta by Marco Polo in the 13th century from the Far East to Italy. However, there are references to the existence of pasta in 1000 BC in Ancient Greece.
The history of the Greek pasta commences in the first half of the 19th century in Nafplio, the first capital of the newly formed Greek state.
The first factory operated there in 1824. Until then, the only pasta known in the Greek territory were traditional handmade noodles and trachanas.
Other small pasta industries were soon established mainly by flour mill owners.
An extremely delicious recipe, tingling the palate of both young and old as tradition playing a dominant role in every bite, is “kofto macaroni”.Its taste pairings are variant but only one evokes childhood memories and that is none other than the tender octopus.
Recipe curation: Konstantinos Koveos
Ingredients
- 1 octopus about 2kg
- 500 gr. pasta
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 carrot cut in cubes
- 1 stalk of celery chopped
- 60 ml Mavrodaphne wine
- 2 litres of vegetable broth
- 400 gr. tomato pulp
- black peppercorns
- 1 wine glass vinegar
- 2 bayleaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3-4 pimento grains
- fresh thyme
- chopped parsley
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Cooking instructions
In a large pot place the octopus along with the bayleaves, peppercorns and vinegar and boil over low heat for about an hour until it softens. Make sure it remains juicy.
Remove it from the pot, let it cool and cut it into pieces.
In another pot, heat olive oil and saute the vegetables over high heat until they get a caramelised color.
Deglaze with the wine, let it evaporate, add tomato and one litre of the broth.
Bring it to boil, add spices, thyme and the octopus and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the pasta, making sure to have more than adequate vegetable broth.
Boil for about 12 minutes stirring regularly and serve with chopped parsley.
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