The “pignata” is nothing more than a pot made of terracotta, one of the main features of the ancient Apulian country cooking. Fortunately, time has not affected this traditional cooking technique, which has been kept almost unchanged.

Food is cooked on low heat directly on the stove to best preserve the aromas and flavours of the dishes: legumes, vegetables, meat and fish, almost everything can be cooked in the pignata and the result is exceptional.

Nothing is more appropriate for this kind of cooking than the octopus. The octopus cooked in the pignata is one of the most representative dishes of Salento, although you can taste it almost everywhere in Puglia.

Cooking octopus is not easy, since its meat can be a bit tough. For this reason, the best Apulian chefs (i.e. our grandmothers) recommend leaving the octopus in the freezer for a few days before cooking it: this step will make it more tender and easier to cook.

The ingredients of this recipe are very simple, as always in our kitchen, but the secret to its success is certainly the freshness of the raw materials: octopus, potatoes, ripe tomatoes, onion and parsley. Moreover, the pignata should not be excessively great. It is a dish that combines sea and land in a synthesis of aromas and flavours that you will not forget.

Ready to write your shopping list? We’re sure this recipe will become one of your favoured ones.

Ingredients

1 kg octopus

1 kg potatoes

10 ripe tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

1 white onion

2 small leeks

Parsley (to taste)

½ glass of white wine

Extra virgin olive oil 

Pepper (to taste) 

Recipe

First of all, peel the potatoes and leave them in a bowl with water for a few minutes before cutting them into pieces. Meanwhile, parboil the tomatoes to peel them and remove the seeds more easily and then cut them into small pieces. Slice the onion, leeks and garlic too.

Wash the octopus carefully, clean it and cut it into large pieces. Then pour the extra virgin olive oil into the pignata or an earthenware pan, covering all the bottom. Put in the octopus and brown it for about 30 minutes, without adding salt or water.

When it turns pink, add the potatoes and mix. Blend everything with the white wine and add tomatoes, onion, garlic, leeks, parsley and pepper (or chilli). Then cover with the lid and let it cook for 30 minutes.

Once cooked, serve everything with slices of fresh or toasted bread.

Enjoy your meal!

Photo credit @samuelfacecchia