Poulpe à la Provençale

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg whole fresh octopus, cleaned, beak and ink sac removed
• 80 ml olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 400 g tomatoes, peeled
• 1 strip orange peel, pith removed
• 1 tsp herbes de Provence
• 80 g black olives, Nyons or Nice; unpitted
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed

Method

1. 1
   Tenderise the octopus by one of three methods: beat it firmly against a hard surface for several minutes; freeze it for 48 hours and thaw completely before cooking; or proceed directly to Phase One below, which constitutes the most reliable modern approach. Place the whole octopus in a heavy, lidded pot over a very low flame with no added liquid of any kind. Cover tightly and allow the octopus to simmer in its own released juices for 45 minutes. It is done when a skewer meets no resistance at the thickest part of the tentacles and the released liquid sits as a dark, concentrated broth beneath the flesh — this broth is essential to the sauce.
2. 2
   Lift the octopus from the pot and reserve all cooking liquid, strained. When cool enough to handle, cut the octopus into pieces of approximately 3 cm.
3. 3
   Warm the olive oil in a wide braising vessel over a moderate flame. Add the sliced onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, without colour. Add the crushed garlic and stir for one minute until its raw sharpness gives way to a mellow fragrance.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Pour in the white wine and the reserved octopus cooking liquid, then add the peeled tomatoes, the strip of orange peel, and the herbes de Provence. Stir to combine. Introduce the octopus pieces, bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially, and braise for 30 to 40 minutes. The two cooking phases must remain distinct: the first tenderises the protein; the second flavours it. To compress them is to court either tough flesh in a watery sauce or a reduced sauce around flesh that is still unyielding — neither is recoverable. The braise is complete when the sauce has tightened to a rich, tomato-red jus that clings to the octopus rather than pooling freely in the pan.
5. 5
   Remove from the heat. Stir in the black olives and capers. Adding them only at this moment preserves the olives' firmness and prevents the capers from releasing an aggressive bitterness into the sauce. Taste for seasoning. Rest, covered, for five minutes before serving.