Slow Cooked Octopus “alla Luciana”

“Purpo” alla Luciana. From Campania. A nice way to cook a large octopus. Very simple, but delicious. The octopus ends up very tender and the liquid it produces makes a very tasty sauce. Serves 3-4

Octopus Luciana ingredients

• 1 Octopus weighing about 1kg – cleaned and tenderised.
• 1/2 glass olive oil
• Parsley – chopped
• 1 clove of garlic – chopped
• Salt and pepper

1. Remove the eyes and beak from the octopus.
2. Place the octopus in a (preferably) terracotta pot. The pot should be just larger than the octopus so it’s a reasonably tight fit.
3. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt though.
4. Cover the pot with aluminium foil or grease proof paper and tie as tightly as possible with kitchen string. Cover with a lid.
5. Cook over a very low heat for two hours. Shake the pot from time to time to prevent sticking.
6. Remove the foil, add the garlic and parsley, and cook for another few minutes.
7. Serve hot or leave to cool in the cooking liquid and serve cold as an antipasto.

Octopus Luciana finished dish