Although octopus may seem a bit exotic, and perhaps not very tempting for some people, here in Bari it’s an everyday ingredient and I assure you it is quite delicious.
This is a simple and tasty way to cook it. My variation on a classic Neapolitan dish called ‘Polpo alla Luciana’.
- 500 grams octopus
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 of a small, dried chilli pepper
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 7or 8 cherry or piccadilly tomatoes
- small bunch of fresh parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
Cut the octopus into 6 pieces. Notice that when the octopus is raw it has a greyish, brownish colour. When it’s cooked it turns red!
Pour enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom into a pot. Cut the garlic clove in half and gently fry until in begins to colour. Cut the octopus into 6 pieces: begin by cutting off the head, and make sure to cut out the eyes if this hasn’t already been done by your fishmonger. Then cut the head in two and divide the body into 4 sections of 2 tentacles. Gently fry the pieces of octopus in the garlic flavoured oil for about 5 minutes until it turns red, then lower the flame and cover with a lid and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. In a separate pot put in enough oil to lightly coat the bottom and put in the other clove of garlic, finely chopped and the chilli pepper. As soon as it begins to sizzle add in the capers and after 1 minute add the chopped parsley and the roughly chopped tomatoes, allow them to cook for 5 minutes and then pour the whole lot into the octopus pot. Add a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The octopus should have released a lot of juices so there shouldn’t be any need to add liquid. Cover and simmer for about an hour. If it begins to look dry add a drop of water, but this shouldn’t be necessary. The octopus is traditionally served with slices of toasted bread but I like to add in some potato for the last 25 minutes of cooking time. The result either way is super delicious!
Cook with Ellen in Puglia 