Octopus and tomatoes with potato cream and toasted bread

• 10 minutes to prepare • 2 hour to cook  • Serves 4

Eight feet

Octopus, tomatoes and potato cream, a refreshing and light dish that reveals the exquisite taste of the octopus.

It is a Mediterranean delight to enjoy either as an appetizer or a first course, served warm and accompanied by a glass of dry white wine.
The simple dressing made with tomatoes and herbs brings out the flavor of the octopus and the potatoes.

This is a lovely way to eat octopus, a low-calorie and lean seafood, and is an ideal way to get protein, minerals , vitamins and antioxidants, without taking in too much fat.

The name of octopus derives from Greek, octo eight and pous foot, with eight feet. Octopus is delightful, but it can be tricky to cook it, with possible results ranging from soft and tender to tough and rubbery. Follow the instructions below and you'll be delighted!

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

1 kg octopus
1 kg small potatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
1 clove
1 branch celery

1 branch parsley

1 branch thyme
200 ml white wine
500 ml milk
300 g cherry tomatoes
4 slices bread
1 anchovy fillet, preserved in oil, drained
EVO oil

salt and pepper

1. Start by cooking the octopus:drop it in a large pan, together with white wine, peeled carrot, celery, the clove. When the wine starts to boil, make it cook for about 90 minutes, covering the pan with a lid and lowering the heat to the minimum. Cooking time depends on the size of the octopus, so consider this time as indicative. The best way to see if the octopus is ready is to skewer it with a fork, in the point where its tentacles are connected to the head: if the fork enters it easily, the octopus is al dente
2. When the octopus is cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool in its cooking water
3. Meanwhile, we can prepare the potato cream: chop the onion and braise it in a pan, together with 3 spoons of EVO Oil
4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Pour them into the pan, and add the milk, too. Let them cook until they become soft
5. Blend potatoes until you obtain a dense cream. Season it with a pinch of salt. Keep warm
6. Remove the octopus from the water, and put it on a cutting board. Remove excess skin and cut the tentacles just below their junction to the body, then cut them into pieces
7. Take another pan. Grease it lightly with EVO oil and put it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the octopus on it, chopped cherry tomatoes, parsley and thyme, add a pinch of salt, and cook it for about 10 minutes, turning it so that the heat reaches it uniformly
8. Take another pan (I promise, it is the last one). Pour 1 spoon of EVO oil, the anchovy fillet and put it over medium heat. When the fillet has melted, place the bread - chopped - in it and let it toast until crunchy and golden
9. Finally, we just need to arrange our serving plates: spread the potato cream in 4 plates and lay in the middle octopus and tomatoes. Grind some more pepper on top, garnish with toasted bread and then bring it to the table

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.