Octopus Rice

The ultimate delicacy...the octopus rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves diced
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of water
• 2-3 baby frozen octopus (fresh octopus is better if you can find it)
• 1 whole medium onion
•  2 cups of rice
• 2 additional cups of water
• pinch of pepper
• 2 teaspoon of sea salt
• few leaves of cilantro 

Directions:

Leave the frozen octopus out of the freezer to defrost for 1-2 hours before you start cooking .

In a large pan add one cup of water, the whole onion and one teaspoon of salt. Let it boil and then add the octopus that you previously washed. Put the lid on the pan and let it boil in medium-low heat until the whole onion is cooked (the onion should be really soft and mushy). This is the sign that the octopus is ready.

Remove the octopus from the water and cut the octopus into small pieces. Save the water that you used to boil the octopus for the rice. Discard the onion.

In a large pan, add the onion, garlic, and olive oil. Cook for a few minutes until the onion turns gold and soft.

Add the water from boiling the octopus and 2 additional cups of water, salt and pepper and the octopus cut in small pieces.  Let it boil for a couple of minutes. Then add the rice. Stir. Cover the pan with a lid and let everything cook in medium-low for 20-25 minutes (or until the rice does not have any liquid -- check frequently so you do not burn the rice). Make sure to rice is cooked before you serve. If it is still too hard add a little bit of more water and let it cook for a few additional minutes.

Serve hot and decorated with cilantro. Enjoy!