Slow-cooked octopus is a fish main course that is traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot. This method is undertaken with the lid on the pot and long, slow cooking. The result is a wonderfully tender and flavourful octopus, served with bread - or even on its own because, with the inclusion of potatoes, this octopus dish can be considered a complete meal in itself.
Wash the octopus and remove its sack and beak. Put it in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and brown until it takes on a red colour all over. Now add the parsley, celery, bay leaf and onion. Let them cook together for another twenty minutes. Then it’s the turn of the other ingredients: tomato passata, salt, pepper, oregano, chilli (to your taste), and diced potatoes. Cover and cook for another half hour. Serve with good crusty bread.