Octopus Luciana style

Thoroughly clean the octopus: remove the beak, eyes, and ink sac. Rinse the octopus under cold running water.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the garlic cloves and red pepper flakes to the pot and sauté until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.