Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Serves
4
Difficulty
Difficult
Ingredients
560g octopus
500g canned cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1 fresh hot chilli
1 tablespoon of Pantelleria capers
2 tablespoons of Gaeta olives
4 slices of French bread (baguette)
Method
First clean each octopus (if not already cleaned when bought), open up the head at the side and remove the innards. Then remove the eyes and beak, and wash each octopus very well under running water to remove any sand residue, especially between the suction cups of the tentacles. Clean the inside of the head very well which will be used for the filling.
Before starting cooking, fill the head of each octopus with a few whole olives, parsley, two cloves of garlic, half the capers and close with one or two toothpicks. Then cook the octopus head down in a large saucepan with a little oil, fresh chilli, ground pepper, and a little chopped garlic.
When the octopus is well browned, lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes. With this cooking method, the skin of the octopus tends to remain attached, without coming undone.
In the meantime, in another saucepan, heat a little oil and sauté 2 to 3 chopped garlic cloves. Add the cherry tomatoes and salt lightly. Cook for about 20 minutes, crushing them to lose water.
When the octopus is tender, add the remaining olives and capers and a handful of chopped parsley. When the tomatoes are half cooked, add them to the octopus and continue cooking for another 20 to 25 minutes.
At this point, prepare the toasted bread. Cut the slices of bread diagonally and toast them in the oven at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve the octopus in a deep dish, covered with its sauce, accompanied by the slices of toasted bread.
