Sometimes a large carbon footprint is worth every footstep.

Every few weeks--including this one--Pizzeria Delfina chef Anthony Strong secures some of the finest octopus in the world.

To do so, he has Vincent Cutrone of Brooklyn's legendary Octopus Garden load fresh, tenderized Spanish octopus on a JetBlue flight to San Francisco. Strong then intercepts the well-traveled cephalopod at SFO.

The endgame is an admirably faithful facsimile of the octopus served at Naples' Europeo di Mattozzi--the restaurant version of a fundamentally Neopolitan street food.

In homage, Strong dubs his preparation "Bay of Naples-style" ($16). He begins by slowly braising the octopus in olive oil, so that it exudes its own flavorful juices. Then plum tomatoes are added, along with salt-packed caperberries, toasted chile flakes, bay leaf, marjoram, parsley and basil. After a few hours, Olivestri olive oil is added to emulsify the broth.

Finally, the standout dish is finished with a soffritto of sautéed minced onion and celery and a slab of toasted bread. Dip, chomp, slurp, swallow. Repeat.

Talk about a special delivery.

Pizzeria Delfina Mission, 3611 18th St. (at Guerrero St.), 415-437-6800; Pizzeria Delfina Pacific Heights, 2406 California St. (at Fillmore St.), 415-440-1189; delfinasf.com