Octopus with Fresh Herbs, Mastic Fava Purée and Roasted Eggplant

Place 1 onion cut into quarters, 2 cloves of lightly crushed garlic, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs of fresh mountain thyme and 1 teaspoon of black pepper on the bottom of a wide and thick-bottomed cast iron pot. Place the cleaned whole octopus on top. Never add any water; The octopus will release plenty of its own natural juices while cooking. Close the lid of the pot tightly and cook it in its own steam over the lowest heat for about 50-60 minutes until a fork or toothpick can easily sink into the thick arms of the octopus. Remove the cooked octopus from the stove and let it cool.

Soak 300 grams of dry broad beans, without shells, cut in half, in plenty of cold water for 8 hours; drain and rinse. Soaking water is not used in cooking. In a separate pot, sauté 1 chopped onion in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until it becomes transparent. Add the broad beans and fry for 2 minutes. Add 800 ml hot water; When it boils, skim off the foam. Cook over low heat for about 35–40 minutes until the broad beans are completely soft and fall apart. Keep the lid ajar and set the heat low to prevent premature water depletion.

Take 0.3 grams of mastic gum and a pinch of measured salt and crush it finely in a mortar. Just before removing the broad beans from the stove, add the mastic gum, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, some of the measured salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Make smooth with a hand blender. Reserve the remaining salt for the eggplant and final taste adjustment; keep warm.

Roast 2 garden eggplants on the stove or in the oven at 230°C until their skins are completely blackened and the inside becomes soft. Put the roasted eggplants in a bowl, close the lid and let them sweat in their own steam for 10 minutes; In this way, the shells can be peeled effortlessly. Peel the skins, drain the excess bitter water in a strainer for 5 minutes, and chop finely with a knife. Mix the chopped eggplant with 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and spread it elegantly on the serving plates.

Separate the warming octopus' arms one by one. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke. Pour 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil into the pan; Add the octopus arms to the pan with the remaining 2 sprigs of fresh mountain thyme and 1 clove of crushed garlic. Seal on high heat for 1.5–2 minutes on each side until the suction cups are crispy and slightly caramelized (be careful not to dry out the flesh). Spread a large spoon of warm mastic fava over the roasted eggplant layer on serving plates. Place the hot octopus arm, which is crispy on the outside and has the consistency of Turkish delight on the inside, on top. Serve warm with thin slices of red onion, fresh dill leaves, remaining 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.