Cover bottom of a skillet with olive oil and sauté the onion with the bay leaf and peppercorns on high for a few minutes. Add the cuttlefish and then the tomato sauce after a few minutes; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour or so until the cuttlefish is very tender when pierced with a fork. Salt to taste. Serve with white rice. Serves four to six, depending upon the size of the cuttlefish.

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Tip: For the cuttlefish to really get tender, it should be frozen first, and then defrosted in the refrigerator overnight. Be sure to cook on low; increasing heat to speed up the cooking will only result in making the fish tougher. Often the cuttlefish for sale in the markets has already been frozen, so do ask while you are there.

1 large cuttlefish (jibia/sepia), cleaned and cut up into pieces

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large can stewed, puréed tomatoes (about 820 g tomate triturado NOT tomate frito)

1 bay leaf

10 peppercorns

olive oil