Octopus Stifado

In Greece with the word "Stifado" we mean those stew type of dishes which they include a lot of shallot (or pearl) onions. This is the key ingredient for a stifado along with various spices we add in. Stifado dishes can be made with meat, poultry, seafood or game (one most loved stifado is the one with rabbit or hare). In general stifados are cooked in the pot with a few variations that can be found baked in the oven. The word "stifado" derives from the word "stufado" brought to Greece, probably, by the Venetians in the 13th century, after the fall of Constantinople and before the Ottoman invasion. Older versions did not include tomato, which didn't appear in Greece until after the discovery of the Americas. Regardless the history of the dish or where its name derives from a stifado is always a hearty delicious dish that most people love

Ingredients (6 persons):
1 octopus, about 1 ½ kg, frozen (or fresh if you know how to clean it) 
1 ½ kg shallots
2/3 tea cup olive oil
1 ½ tea cup red wine
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. honey
2 to 3 whole cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
2 large pieces of orange peel (remove with a spoon as much of the pith as possible)
freshly grounded pepper

Method:
Cut the tentacles and hood of the octopus into large pieces of length 4 to 5 cm.

In a deep pot put the ingredients in the following order: a layer of shallots, top with pieces of octopus, the remaining shallots, orange peel, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, the allspice and pepper. Pour olive oil, wine, vinegar and honey. Don't add any more liquid because the octopus has enough of its own.

Cover the pan and allow the food to cook over low heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at least or until the octopus is done.

Avoid to stir while it is cooking because the shallots will be ruined. If,at the end of the cooking,there is still quite some liquid in the pot, transfer the octopus and the shallots onto a serving dish and keep cooking until the sauce has the desired thickness. *** Alternatively, you can bake the food in a clay pot with a lid on at 180° C for about 2 hours.

About 5 to 10 minutes before finished cooking, uncover the pot to give colour to the octopus and most of the liquid is evaporated. If we want the sauce thicker,transfer it into a saucepan and boil until slightly compressed.

Discard the spices and serve while it is still hot.