I’ve heard so many times about this famous soup and from so many people, who visited Mount Athos, that I couldn’t ignore it. The recipe for this soup can be found in the excellent book called “The Cuisine of the Holy Mountain Athos”, a book with wonderful recipes from Greek nature, a book that exudes freshness and Mediterranean aroma. The author is the blessed Monk Epifanios Mylopotaminos who, referring to this soup, said …

“It is delicious and smells of sea and vegetable garden at the same time”

Especially during the fasting period, it is very filling, rich in ingredients, nutritious and very enjoyable. And do not forget, it’s a soup whose reputation precedes itself!

Ingredients

• 500 g octopus fresh or frozen
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 4 spring onions
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped dill
• 1 tomato
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon

The recipe contains two more ingredients, celery and vinegar that I didn’t include. 

Preparation

Wash the octopus. This black in the centre of the octopus is its tooth. Remove it as well as the eyes.

Chop the octopus. You have to remove the skin from the hood but it comes out easier after boiling.

Steam the octopus and cover it with water. Boil it over low heat until soft or for 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. Of course, the cooking time depends on how hard the octopus is.

Wash the vegetables. Dice the potatoes, carrots and tomatoes and finely chop the herbs.

When the octopus is cooked, take it out, cut it into small pieces and set it aside. In its broth, add 5 cups water and the olive oil. Add the potatoes and carrots.

Continue with the herbs, parsley, dill and spring onions.

Simmer for 15 minutes and then add the tomato, the paste, the cayenne pepper, the cumin, salt and pepper.

Once they boil, add the orzo and stir.

Finally, add the octopus. Stir well and simmer until the orzo softens. Once you remove from heat, add the lemon juice or you can just squeeze some lemon juice in your own bowl.

Enjoy!

Nanà…