Octopus in Ranchero Sauce

Zeke Koch's Note:

This recipe is adapted from the wonderful "Cuisine of the Water Gods" which is sadly out of print. It's hands down my favorite octopus recipe. It seems like a lot of work the first time you make it, but trust me, this will blow your mind. Even the most squeamish folks I know love it.

• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Prep Time: 3 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 2 medium onions
• 2 heads garlic
• 4 ½ lbs octopus (I used baby ones)
• 2 bunches parsley
• 2 bunches cilantro
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 fresh green serrano chilies
• 16 cups water
• 2 cups light beer
• 6 cups water
• 16 medium plum tomatoes
• 1 ½ medium white onions (peeled and sliced)
• 6 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 14 fresh green serrano chilies
• ½ cup olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 8 garlic cloves
• ½ cup cilantro leaf
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. First roast 2 medium onion and 2 heads garlic in the oven (at 425 for 20 minutes or so until they start to caramelize). Alternately you can pan roast them in a cast iron skillet.
2. In a large pot place roasted onion and garlic, octopus, 2 bunches parsley & cilantro, peppercorns, 4 serrano chiles (whole), 16 cups water and beer.
3. Boil for 1 1/2 to two hours.
4. Remove from heat and let the octopus cool in the liquid while you start the ranchero sauce.
5. Bring 6 cups of water to boil with 16 plum tomatoes, 1 1/2 sliced tomatoes and 6 cloves of garlic and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Strain out the solids (saving the Ranchero broth), puree the solids in a blender or Cuisinart with 1 1/2 cups or the retained broth.
7. Now, heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a tall thick pot and add 6 cloves of garlic. Simmer the garlic until it turns golden, remove them with a slotted spoon and carefully pour in the Ranchero sauce. This will cause splattering so I strongly encourage long sleeves. Stir like mad for the first few minutes until it's a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
8. Now strain the liquid from the simmered octopus and in a separate pan cook down to 3 cups. This should take about 30 minutes. Meanwhile separate the octopus from the veggies and toss the veggies.
9. While the ranchero sauce and octopus are simmering down take the final 6 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of cilantro and salt and either in a pestle or a blender puree into a smooth paste.
10. Add the paste, octopus and reduced octopus stock to the ranchero sauce and cook for a final 20 minutes.
11. I sometimes split this recipe over two days (make the octopus one night and the ranchero the next).