Up to 2 weeks before serving, defrost the octopus overnight in a bowl of lightly salted water. Detach the tentacles in one piece and press out the beak. Clip the eyes from the head and discard them. Turn the hood inside out and discard the viscera. Wash and rinse thoroughly under cool running water.

Place the octopus in a deep, heavy casserole and cover with a lid. (Do not add liquid.) Set the octopus over medium heat and cook until the water produced evaporates and the flesh is tender and rosy red, about 1 ½ hours. If necessary, add a little water and continue cooking. Be sure to turn the octopus often for even cooking.

Drain the octopus in a colander and rinse under running water; rub off the skin and discard. Shake the octopus dry, rub the flesh with coarse sea salt, and leave to dry on a towel-lined plate in the refrigerator at least 12 hours.

Cut the chilled octopus into a 2-inch pieces and tightly pack in a 1-quart wide mouth Mason jar. In an enamel or stainless steel pan, combine the vinegar, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Ladle the boiling liquid into the jar. Add the lemon pulp and the olive oil, filling to within 1/8 inch of the top. Cover, cool, and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Remove from the refrigerator about 1hour before serving. Arrange the pieces of octopus onto 8 skewers; reserve the marinade. Broil about 3 inches from hot coals until browned along the edges and just heated through, turning once and brushing with the reserved marinade. Serve at once with a grinding of black pepper and wedges of lemon.

The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean p148

Paula Wolfert