2 Cups long grain rice, cleaned and rinsed
7 Cups Octopus broth (add chicken or clam stock to make get to 7 cups as preparing octopus will not likely yield 7 cups)
4 Lbs. octopus, cleaned or approximately 1 pound after cooking
6 Cups coriander leaves, chopped (about two or three good bunches). Not a typo. Adding a mess of cilantro leaves and stirring them in will result in a colorful, flavorful rice
4 Cups sofrito
Prepare sofrito (takes approximately 1 to .5 hours of patience) (pre-cook octopus simultaneously or before).
Precook the octopus by placing it in the bottom of heavy bottomed pan or earthenware pot, add a raw onion and nothing else, set the heat to medium and when enough liquid accumulates simmer at moderate heat. the octopus and onion will release enough water on it's own so don't drown the process in the beginning by adding any liquid. You are done when the onion is soft and easily penetrable. Add water if it does become necessary. Reserve the liquid as it is crucial to the flavor of the dish. Chop the cooked octopus and set aside. I remove the head but alternatively you could use it but chop/mince it rather than slice it as you would the leg
Add sofrito, octopus broth and any additional liquid if required to make a 3.5 to 1 stock to rice ratio, to a ceramic or heavy bottomed dutch oven and bring to boil. s
Wash and rinse long grained rice thoroughly.
Once the broth reaches a boil, add rice and reduce to simmer. Stir regularly to make sure rice does not stick to bottom of pot
After 16 minutes and as long as the rice is no longer crunchy, stir in the chopped octopus and coriander leaves, turn off burner, cover for 4 minutes and serve.
Serve with lemons
Entire Recipe total 3800 calories or 316 per cup.
Same recipe can be used with mussells or shrimp.
