Cooking is central to the Croatian culture, and as such we’re celebrating by sharing some of the most famous recipes from our homeland.
In the first of a multi-part series using excerpts from the bilingual ‘My Mother’s Kitchen’ cookbook (produced by Geelong’s Croatian Cultural Association), we bring Croatia’s best recipes to your kitchen.
Anyone who’s visited Croatia’s coastline knows that octopus is a poplar dish. But it’s a delicate balance getting it right. Here is the secret recipe.
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 cloves of garlic
1 1⁄2kg octopus
parsley
50ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
red onion (cut into rings)
capers
olives (of your choice)
1kg cooked potatoes (cut into cubes
Preparation and cooking
1. Wash the octopus, turn it inside out to remove the entrails.
2. Pound the thicker sections and again wash the octopus well.
3. Cook the octopus in a pot with plenty of water, lid on and on high heat.
4. When the water boils, lower the temperature by half and continue to cook until the octopus flesh softens (about 60 minutes). Time depends on the size of the octopus. If small, cook 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove the skin from the cooked and cooled octopus and cut into small pieces.
6. Slice the garlic, chop the parsley. Add the red onion, capers, olives and cooked potatoes. Pour over the oil and vinegar.
7. Add pepper and salt to taste (the octopus is naturally salty) and mix well to combine.
8. Octopus salad can keep for 1-2 days in the fridge (but without the potatoes).
Recipe from the bilingual cookbook ‘My Mother’s Kitchen‘ by the Croatian Cultural Association (CCA) of Geelong published with the author’s permission
