NONNA LISA'S TIELLA FILLING OF OCTOPUS, GARLIC, AND OIL

Nonna Lisa's Tiella Filling of Octopus, Garlic, and Oil image

Yield makes about 4 cups of filling, for a 12-inch tiella

Number Of Ingredients 12

4 pounds frozen, cleaned octopus (tentacles about 1/2 inch wide at thickest part)
2 bay leaves
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes (4 tomatoes)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sliced garlic
2/3 cup Gaeta olives, pitted and cut in half
1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Recommended Equipment
A large pot for cooking the octopus
A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger

Steps:

Defrost the octopus, and put it in a big pot with several inches of water to cover. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and cook at a bubbling simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the octopus is tender but al dente. You should be able to pierce the flesh with a big meat-fork but still feel a bit of resistance when you withdraw it. The skin of the octopus should still be largely intact-not broken and peeling off, which indicates overcooking. Let it cool in the cooking water, then drain well and cut it up into 3/4-inch pieces. Rinse, core, and seed the plum tomatoes, and cut into 1/3-inch dice.
Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, set it over medium heat, and stir in the garlic. Cook for a minute, until sizzling, then add the octopus pieces and toss them in the oil. Scatter the olives in the pan, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring and tossing; sprinkle in the peperoncino. When the octopus is sizzling, toss in the diced tomatoes, and season with the salt.
Cook at the simmer, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes or so, until the filling is dense and glistening, with no liquid left in the pan. Toss in the parsley, and cool the filling before assembling the tiella.