Tiella di Gaeta con Polpo e Olive

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 500 g plain flour
• 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 7 g dried yeast
• 150 ml warm water
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• For the filling
• 800 g octopus, frozen 24 hours then fully defrosted, or boiled with a cork for 45 minutes until tender, then diced
• 150 g Gaeta DOP black olives, stoned
• 30 g capers sotto sale, salt-packed, rinsed and desalted
• 200 g canned or fresh tomato, crushed, excess liquid drained
• 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

Method

1. 1
   Tenderise the octopus by one of two methods: freeze for 24 hours then defrost fully at refrigerator temperature, or boil in water with a cork submerged for 45 minutes. Once tender, drain completely, pat dry, and dice into pieces of roughly 2 cm. The octopus must be fully yielding to the knife — resistance at this stage means the interior will never soften in 40 minutes of baking.
2. 2
   Dissolve the dried yeast in the warm water and allow to stand for 5 minutes until lightly foamy. Combine flour and salt in a wide bowl. Add the olive oil and the yeast water, then bring together into a dough. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is elastic, smooth, and non-sticky. The surface should spring back when pressed with a finger.
3. 3
   Cover the dough and leave to rise at room temperature until roughly doubled in volume — approximately 1 hour. Do not allow it to over-proof: the dough should be pillowy but not collapsed or bubble-surfaced. Over-risen dough will bake spongy rather than crisp.
4. 4
   Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over moderate heat with the garlic. Add the diced octopus, olives, desalted capers, and drained tomato. Braise together, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is cohesive and the liquid has largely evaporated — the filling must hold its shape when mounded on a spoon and must not pool liquid on the plate. This is where the dish lives or dies: a filling carrying excess moisture will saturate the pastry before the oven can set it, and no crust will save it. Remove the garlic and allow the filling to cool completely.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Divide the rested dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger portion to a round or rectangle approximately 4 mm thick and line a lightly oiled baking tin, allowing the dough to overhang the edge. Spoon the cooled filling evenly over the base, leaving a clear border.
6. 6
   Roll the second dough portion to the same thickness and lay it over the filling. Fold the overhanging lower dough up over the edge of the lid and crimp firmly all around — press with the fingers or the back of a fork. The seal must be tight enough to withstand the steam pressure generated inside during baking. Score the top surface once or twice with a sharp knife to provide steam vents; without them, the lid lifts away from the filling.
7. 7
   Brush the entire top surface generously with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes until the pastry is deep golden across the top and the underside sounds hollow when the tin is tapped. The characteristic tiella finish is a golden, slightly oily crust that yields firmly to light pressure.
8. 8
   Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before cutting. At room temperature the pastry firms to its correct texture — close-crumbed, rich, and self-supporting. Served warm, the pastry is softer and less distinct from the filling.