Chorba Akhtaboot, Soupe aux Poulpes, Algerian Octopus Soup

This spicy soup can also be made like a stew with less water with fennel, pumpkin or chick peas added. With even less water it becomes a shatitha. Shatitha means "sauce that dances". Shatta is a type of chili. If you make it like a soup you can add bulghur wheat or vermicelli noodles to the broth. If you make it like a stew serve it with flat or leavened bread, some people would eat it with bulghur or semolina couscous. If you make it like a shatitha you can serve it over pasta.

Octopus cooked like this is very tender and not at all rubbery, It's hearty and satisfying.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 hot green chilis, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of chopped tomatoes
750 grams of octopus, cleaned and cut into 2" pieces (I don't like the heads)
Handful of bulghur wheat
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Spices of your choice

Method:

1) Saute the onions and peppers until translucent as shown, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.

2) Drain the tomatoes, add to the aromatics and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.

3) Add the octopus and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

4) I used a crockpot, you don't have to. Cover with water and cook until tender for about 3 1/2 hours in a crock pot or 2 1/2 hours on the stove top.

5) Add the bulghur about 20 minutes before the dish is finished cooking. It's hard to over cook this dish.

6) Don't forget to season with salt and spices throughout the cooking process. Cook TO TASTE!!! You can add some fresh herbs at the end.

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Comments

[Paz]

Can you suggest some spices, please? Thank you.
Paz

[Farid]

Hi Dan,

Traditional herbs would be cilantro and flat leaf parsely. Fresh tomatoes are fine. Traditionally in Algeria home cooks preserved their own tomatoes, so the flavor is different from commercially canned tomatoes. Try making your own tomato jame, it's incredibly good.

[Dan]

Do you have any recommendations for particular fresh herbs that would be traditional for this recipe to add at the end? Sounds fantastic, I'll have to give it a try soon! (You don't mind if I use fresh tomatoes rather than canned, do you? For me, canned tomatoes are sacrilege!)

[Sakinah Djilali]

My husband is Algerian from Tiaret...but so far, he loved all your recipes I tried....especially the lamb mechoui. Will try this new recipe as soon as I can get some octopus!

[melissa_cookingdiva]

Farid, I have always loved octopus, and this recipe sounds great to me! Will try it sometime soon :)

[Elvira]

It looks very tasty and delicious!