Octopus alla Luciana with Garlic Crostini

La storia di questo piatto

Born in Naples' seafaring Borgo di Santa Lucia, where the fishermen called 'luciani' lived, this octopus carries the name of its harbor village. The sources give no date of birth, only the sea, the tomato, the olive and the caper gathered in one pot.

Ingredienti

• 1200 g octopus (already cleaned, thawed or fresh)
• 600 g ripe tomatoes, San Marzano or cuore di bue type
• 4 clove garlic (3 cloves for the sauce, 1 for the crostini)
• 1 piece fresh red chilli
• 50 ml extra virgin olive oil (for the sauce)
• 15 ml extra virgin olive oil (raw, for finishing)
• 40 g pitted Gaeta black olives
• 1 tablespoon desalted capers
• 15 g fresh parsley
• 3 g fine salt (only at the end, if needed)
• 8 piece rustic bread, sliced (for the crostini and mopping up the sauce)

Preparazione

1. Rinse the octopus under cold water and check that the fishmonger has already cleaned it: no eyes, beak or innards, and suckers well washed. Do not salt it: it will cook in its own liquid. Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them on the large holes of a box grater, holding the cut side against the grater until only the skin remains in your hand to discard: the sauce comes out smooth and you don't need to peel them. Crush 3 garlic cloves with the flat of a knife blade for the sauce, set aside the fourth clove (whole, peeled) for the crostini, and break up the chilli with your fingers.
2. In a wide, heavy pot with a lid (earthenware or cast iron are ideal, as they hold gentle heat) warm the 50 ml of oil over low heat with the 3 crushed garlic cloves and the chilli. As soon as you smell the aroma and the garlic turns pale gold, never dark as it would make everything bitter, add the Gaeta olives and desalted capers and let them infuse for 1 minute, stirring: this aromatic base gives the dish its whole character. Then add the grated tomatoes, unsalted, and bring to a slow simmer, with a few lazy bubbles. Let it cook for 10 minutes, until the oil rises to the edges and the raw tomato smell has gone.
3. Place the whole octopus in the sauce, close the lid tightly and lower the heat to minimum: it should cook slowly, without rushing, for about 50 minutes. Usually there is no need to add water: you will see it release its liquid, curl up and turn dark pink. Halfway through, lift it and turn it gently so it takes on colour on every side. It is ready when a skewer or the tines of a fork slide into the thickest part of the tentacle without resistance; if the octopus is large and still tough, give it another 10 minutes. If the sauce dries out too much, add at most two tablespoons of hot water.
4. Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium. Let the sauce reduce for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes glossy and coats the spoon: this is how the octopus liquid concentrates into flavour. Do not salt yet: olives, capers and octopus already provide savouriness, and salt is adjusted only at the end.
5. Turn off the heat, put the lid back on and let the octopus rest in its sauce for 15 minutes. During this time the fibres relax and the meat absorbs the flavours of the sauce, remaining soft and juicy when cut. If you cut it straight away, the juices end up on the board instead of in the mouthful: patience shows on the plate. Meanwhile prepare the crostini: heat the oven to 200°C (or a very hot griddle), toast the 8 slices of bread for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and crisp, then rub each one, while still warm, with the peeled fourth garlic clove, which will melt into the rough surface.
6. Take the octopus out and place it on a chopping board. With a sharp knife cut it into pieces of about 3-4 cm, tentacles and head, leaving the pieces large enough to stay juicy. Return it to the warm sauce over low heat for a minute, just long enough to coat it well.
7. Off the heat, add the coarsely chopped parsley and the 15 ml of raw oil. Now taste the sauce and add salt only if needed, little by little and tasting again, up to a maximum of 3 g in total: olives and capers already provide plenty of savouriness. Serve in the pot, with the garlic crostini alongside, to dip into the sauce until the last drop for mopping up.