This is a friend’s family recipe. I made a few improvisations to the original recipe and I hope you like it.

Ingredients:

• Octopus (Remove the eyes which are located at the top of the head. Cut it into 1 1/2 inch pieces)
• Onion (2 finely sliced)
• Garlic (3 cloves finely chopped)
• Tomatoes (3 -4 diced into small pieces)
• Bay leaves (1-2)
• Cloves (2-4)
• Red wine (2 cups)
• White wine (1 cup)
• Potatoes (4-5 large cut into chunks)
• Parsley (finely chopped)
• Hot pepper paste (I used Gochujang Korean red chili paste)
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

In a deep pan, add some olive oil and add the bay leaves and the cloves and cook for 10 – 15 seconds. Now, add the garlic and cook for a minute or two till the raw smell of the garlic is gone.

Add the onions and cook for 8 – 10 minutes on medium heat till the onions have a golden brown shade. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are mushy. Don’t worry if it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add the hot pepper paste and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the white wine and de-glaze the pan and cook till the wine is reduced to half.

Add the octopus pieces into the pan and mix it all together till all the pieces are well coated. Cook for 15 minutes on medium high heat.

Add the potatoes and the red wine, if you feel there is not enough liquid you can add more red wine or water to it. Cook on low flame for about an hour or until the octopus and potatoes are cooked through. To check if the octopus is cooked poke it with a sharp knife and it should come out clean.

Add the parsley towards the end and serve the stew with bread.