Baby Octopus Stew

Why this? Well, because many years ago I was at a Portuguese restaurant on Cannery Row and had marinated octopus that was unbelievable; not at all tough and so tasty. And I remember crabbing in Santa Cruz long before that and bringing up a whole mess of baby octopus. That's why.

INGREDIENTS
2   tablespoons olive oil
1   medium red bell pepper, cut to ½ inch pieces
1   medium onion, chopped
4   cloves garlic
1   tablespoon lemon juice
1   can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
3   tablespoons fresh chopped or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
3   tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained
1   pound baby octopus (see NOTES below)

METHOD

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the red pepper pieces. Cook the peppers for 3 to 4 minutes and add the onions and garlic. Simmer the vegetables until they are just tender, about 6 to 7 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the lemon juice, tomatoes, parsley and capers, stirring to combine.

Add the baby octopus to the skillet, cover and cook for 20 minutes, turning the octopus once at 8 to 10 minutes.. Remove from the heat and serve over rice or your favorite pasta.

NOTE

Baby Octopus can be found in Asian markets, frozen in 2 pound packages. Freezing helps to soften the octopus, so look for them this way. To get down to 1 pound, place the whole bunch into a plastic bag and submerge in a pan of hot water that come halfway up the plastic bag. When the bottom portion has thawed, separate it from the still-frozen portion, refreeze that portion, and use the thawed portion.