Luciana octopus, a classic Neapolitan recipe, very simple but truly delicious, with octopus cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce. I had already suggested this dish with slow cooking in a slow cooker… in this case, however, I propose a much faster version, with cooking in a pressure cooker (or instant pot, or multicooker). The preparation is very easy, in practice you just have to put all the ingredients in the pot and set the timer… once cooking is finished, all you have to do is accompany your pressure cooker Luciana octopus with slices of toasted bread!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Pressure cooker, Instant pot
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 120.61 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 5.71 (g) of which sugars 5.04 (g)
- Proteins 15.82 (g)
- Fat 4.19 (g) of which saturated 1.23 (g)of which unsaturated 2.34 (g)
- Fibers 1.54 (g)
- Sodium 173.07 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs octopus (cleaned, defrosted)
- 14 oz peeled tomatoes
- 3.5 oz cherry tomatoes (to taste)
- 3 tbsps Gaeta olives (or Taggiasca, or black)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 leaf bay leaf (to taste)
- parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
- chili pepper (to taste)
- salt (if necessary)
Tools
- Pressure cooker or multicooker
- Bowl
Preparation
Wash the octopus thoroughly to remove any sand residues, and remove the beak if present.
If desired, you can leave it whole or cut it into 3-4 parts.
Put the peeled tomatoes in a bowl and chop them roughly. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.
Pour a drizzle of oil at the bottom of the pressure cooker (or in the inner pot of the multicooker). Add the garlic cloves, the bay leaf, the tomatoes, the olives, and a pinch of chili pepper if you like (1).
Now add the octopus and close the pot (2).
Turn on the pot and set the timer to 15-17 minutes (depending on the size of the octopus). If you have a classic pressure cooker, start counting the minutes from the whistle.
At the end of cooking, vent the steam and open the lid.
If you want, you can remove the octopus and let the tomato reduce in an uncovered pot for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the salt only if necessary (it may not be needed because the liquid released by the octopus is very flavorful).
The pressure cooker Luciana octopus is ready, transfer it to a bowl with all its sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Tips and Notes
You can use a large octopus weighing 1 kg (2.2 lbs), or 2-3 smaller octopuses. I recommend choosing defrosted octopus, as it is more tender than fresh.
If desired, you can add a tablespoon of capers.
If you can’t find Gaeta olives (they are hard to find where I live), replace them with Taggiasca or black olives.
You can use either just the peeled tomatoes or only cherry tomatoes if in season.
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