Curried octopus

Prep: 40 minutes Cook: About 2 hours and 30 minutes Marinate: 4 hours and up to overnight Chill: 4 hours and up to overnight Makes: 6 servings Adapted from Strangers & Saints, Provincetown, Mass.

Octopus: 1 whole (4-pound) octopus, thawed (or five 1/2- to 1-pound octopuses; octopus shrink tremendously when cooked) 1½ cups white wine 3 cups water 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 1 large fennel bulb, roughly chopped 2 large carrots, peeled, roughly chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 4 bay leaves 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds Marinade: 1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil 1⁄4 cup ras el hanout (or substitute your favorite curry powder) 2 tablespoons turmeric 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes (or less to reduce the spiciness of the dish) 1⁄2 cup sugar 1⁄2 cup maple syrup 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1⁄2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper Chickpea mash: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄2 teaspoon ras el hanout (or curry powder) 2 cups orange juice 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chickpeas, drained, rinsed 1⁄2 cup finely chopped cilantro 1 Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bring octopus, wine, water, onion, fennel, carrots, garlic, salt, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and coriander seeds to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Cover, transfer to oven and cook, covered, until octopus is fork tender at its thickest part, 90 minutes to 2 hours (check tenderness after 90 minutes).

2 Drain octopus from cooking liquid; remove tentacles from head. Discard head. Transfer tentacles to a resealable plastic bag. Strain cooking liquid, reserving ½ cup in the fridge. (Remaining cooking liquid can be frozen for several months and used in recipes calling for fish stock.)

3 For the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, ras el hanout, turmeric, red pepper flakes, sugar, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Pour marinade over octopus, seal bag and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

4 For the chickpea mash, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in ras el hanout; cook for several seconds until very fragrant. Add reserved cooking liquid, orange juice, salt, pepper, chickpeas and cilantro. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, the chickpeas begin to fall apart and all the liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer; keep warm, stirring occasionally.

5 Meanwhile, heat broiler to low, set rack 4 to 6 inches from heating element. Remove the tentacles from the marinade and broil octopus pieces on a baking sheet until deep dark brown, crisp and heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

6 Place chickpea mash in the center of a warm serving dish, top with broiled octopus and garnish with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. Serve at once.

Nutrition information per serving:

641 calories, 17 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 145 mg cholesterol, 66 g carbohydrates, 31 g sugar, 56 g protein, 1,309 mg sodium, 9 g fiber