[Papa]

Dear GourmetLover:

Octopus always brings warm memories of my childhood.

I caught my first octopus off the coast of the island of Paros, Greece, when I was five years old. Like anything else, it is always better to have a fresh octopus than a frozen one with which to work.

After catching the octopus, I used to clean it by taking the mouth out and by cleaning the sac. I saved the ink just in case I wanted to use it in a recipe later. I used to beat the octopus on a rock until it is was so tender that if you pulled lightly the legs the membrane that connects them would brake without applying any pressure. At this point I rubed the octopus on a rock until a foam was formed which I washed off with seawater. I repeated this process until all foaming stoped. At this point the octopus was ready for cooking.

I like octopus cooked in either of two ways. The first is a red wine sauce casserole and the second is by letting the octopus dry by hanging on a string in the strong Mediterranean sun for at least a couple of weeks. I cut it in small pieces/bite size, and I serve it with olive oil and lemon as an accompaniment to ouzo.