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Tielle sétoise
Tielle sétoise: Sète's spicy octopus and tomato pie in a soft bread-dough crust
The fishing port of Sète eats tielles everywhere: from bakeries along the canals, at the market on the Halles square, and on the quays during the summer water-jousting festival. Brought by Italian fishing families from Gaeta, the pie wraps a spicy, slow-cooked filling of octopus, onions and tomato in a soft olive-oil bread dough with a fluted, crimped edge. It is chewy, rich and properly peppery, and just as good cold as warm. Cut it into wedges as a snack or serve it with a green salad for lunch. Chef's tip: cook the filling until it is thick enough to hold a line when you drag a spoon through it, or the base will go soggy.
- Total time
- 210 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
To glaze
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb octopus and 2 bay leaves in a large pan of cold unsalted water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the thickest part of a tentacle. Leave to cool in the water.
60 minStep 2: Meanwhile, mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Add ¼ cup olive oil and 1 cup warm water and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
70 minStep 3: Drain the octopus, rub off any loose skin and cut it into 1 cm pieces.
Step 4: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and cook 2 onions for 8 minutes, until soft and golden. Add 4 garlic cloves and 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir for 1 minute.
9 minStep 5: Add the octopus, 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp sweet paprika and ½ tsp cayenne pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until very thick and jammy. Don't skip this reduction: a wet filling is the usual reason a tielle comes out soggy. Stir in 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, season with salt and leave to cool.
25 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F) and oil a 28 cm tart tin or shallow pie dish. Roll out two-thirds of the dough thinly and line the tin, letting the edge hang over.
Step 7: Spread in the cooled filling. Roll the rest of the dough into a thin disc, lay it on top, fold the overhanging edge over it and crimp it into a twisted rope all round. Prick the top a few times with a fork.
Step 8: Brush the top with 1 egg yolk and bake for 35–40 minutes, until deep golden and the base sounds hollow when you tap the tin.
40 minStep 9: Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tielle sétoise take?
- About 210 minutes in total: 110 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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