braised octopus

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g squid(s), which is usually 2 octopus
• ½ bunch parsley
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 50 g bell pepper(s), red
• 1 peperoncino, alternatively 1 chili pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, cold squeezed
• 1 tbsp, heaped tomato paste
• 16 black olives, pitted if possible
• 1 pinch(s) of oregano
• e.g. salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

Humidified octopus, recipe from Campania

Cut the octopus into pieces and slices approximately 1 cm in size. Chop half a bunch of parsley. Chop the garlic clove and the red bell pepper. Deseed and chop the chili pepper. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the garlic, bell pepper, and chili pepper for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the octopus pieces, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley, tomato paste, olives, and 50 ml of water. Mix thoroughly, and cover and simmer. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if necessary. Commercially available octopus needs about 1 hour. For larger octopus, allow up to 2 hours. Serve with fairly firm polenta or white bread. Notes: Cuttlefish are generally divided into cuttlefish, squid, and octopus. Octopus has 8 arms. In Naples, a distinction is made between the Verace, which has a double row of suckers, and the Moscardini, which has one row of suckers.