Cooking octopus

[boudin noir]

I have a 4 lb octopus that I plan to cook for christmas. What are the opinions of traditional simmering v. dry pot cooking. Has anyone had experience with pressure cooked octopus?

[seabream]

I have tried both simmering it for over an hour, and pressure cooking it for 30-45 minutes. Both work well and the octopus comes out tender. If you're looking for a recipe, my favorite is from Ethan Stowell's "New Italian Kitchen". It's essentially simmered octopus with beans, marinated on an acidic dressing. I also really filleting chunks of octopus, dipping it in egg and bread crumbs and pan frying - this is the way my mom cooks it most frequently, and my childhood favorite. My mom always pressure cooks it.

I have heard that cooking the octopus for a short period of time also works, but that has never worked for me, it always comes out rubbery.

[boudin noir]

Thanks.