Octopus With Linguine Recipes

OCTOPUS PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Combine the cloves, carrots, garlic, shallot, wine and 2 cups water in a medium Dutch oven or sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, rinse the octopus. Remove the head just above the eyes and then make a cut just below the eyes to remove them completely. Dip the ends of the octopus tentacles in the simmering wine mixture for a few seconds. Remove and then dip them again. Repeat once more for a total of 3 times; this will curl the tips for a very pretty result.
• Submerge the octopus tentacles and the head in the wine mixture, adding more water if needed to cover the octopus. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, covered, until the tip of a paring knife goes into the thickest part without much resistance, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Allow the octopus to cool for 30 minutes in the liquid before transferring to a plate to cool completely. When cool enough to handle, use a piece of paper towel to wipe the skin away. Cut the base into individual legs.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the octopus legs and head with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place on the hot grill and cook until charred in a few spots, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the bread cubes, Parmesan, 4 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Mix well to coat. Scatter the cubes on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 12 minutes. Add the toasted cubes back to the bowl along with the arugula, tomatoes and olives. Tear in the basil. Drizzle the lemon juice and the remaining 1/3 cup oil around the edge of the bowl and toss well to marry all the ingredients. Chop the octopus into bite-size pieces and add them to the salad along with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Toss one more time and serve.

OCTOPUS WITH LINGUINE

Steps:

• Put tentacles from octopus head (just below eyes) and discard head. Fill a 6- to 8-quart pot three-fourths full with water and bring octopus to a boil (do not salt water; it will make octopus tough). Simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Drain and cool slightly. Rinse under cold running water to remove as much of purple outer coating as possible without removing suction cups. Drain well and cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• While octopus simmers, chop tomatoes, reserving juices.
• Sautá garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in parsley and basil. Add tomatoes with juices and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.
• Add octopus and cook until very tender when thick parts are pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, boil linguine in a large pot of salted water until al dente, then drain well.
• Serve octopus sauce over linguine.

OCTOPUS WITH SPICY TOMATO LINGUINE

Steps:

• On a flat work surface or cutting board, pound the whole octopus using a skillet, a meat tenderizer, or other heavy object. Pounding will help tenderize the octopus flesh. Then, using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut and remove the tentacles of the octopus, making sure to cut up and around the webbing. Discard the octopus head. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the octopus tentacles, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Check the octopus with a fork to check for doneness. Once the octopus is tender, drain and cut the tentacles into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• In a large deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture is fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and salt, and then allow the sauce to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the olives, and check if more salt is needed. When the octopus is ready, add to the sauce.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is al dente. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the octopus and sauce to bowl and toss together. Top the pasta with fresh parsley and serve.

OCTOPUS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the octopus into a large pot and fill with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer over medium heat until octopus is opaque, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly; cut into bite-size pieces.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, mint leaves, curry powder and mixed spice; cook and stir until onion is soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the octopus pieces, wine, lemon zest and orange zest. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peas, potatoes, olives and bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes and octopus are tender, about 45 minutes.

SPAGHETTI WITH OCTOPUS BRAISED IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet or saute pan, and turn heat to medium-high. Add carrot, onion and celery. Sprinkle with pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add octopus, along with some pepper and a little more salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, and then add wine, bay leaf and garlic. Cook until octopus is tender, for about 1 hour (check with point of sharp knife). Remove octopus, and cut into bite-size pieces. Return octopus to skillet, and turn heat to a minimum.
• Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil, and salt it. Fifteen minutes before eating, begin cooking pasta. When it is barely tender but not nearly tender enough to eat, drain it, reserving about 1 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to octopus mixture, with half the reserved liquid. Cook until pasta is tender but not mushy; add remaining liquid if needed to keep mixture from drying out.
• Add remaining olive oil, along with butter, cherry tomatoes and basil. Stir until butter melts, and then serve.

BRAISED OCTOPUS WITH SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Pour 6 tablespoons of the olive oil into the saucepan, and set it over low heat. Scatter the onion slices over the bottom of the pan, and lay the octopuses on top. Scatter the olives over the octopuses, cover the pan, and let the octopuses heat slowly, releasing their liquid, and starting to cook in it. After an hour or so, uncover the pan and check to see that there is plenty of octopus liquid in the pan. If it seems dry, add 1 cup of water at a time. This recipe should yield 2 cups of sauce when the octopus is done.
• Continue the covered slow cooking for another hour, until the octopuses are very tender. Start testing for doneness after 1 3/4 hours: stick the tines of a fork in the thickest part of each octopus; when the fork slides out easily, the meat is done.
• Remove the octopuses from the pot, and let them cool slightly. To make a meaty octopus sauce, cut both octopuses into 3/4-inch chunks, skin and all (or you can leave the octopuses whole for serving). Measure the liquid remaining in the saucepan. Again, you should have about 2 cups total. If the volume is greater, return the juices to the saucepan and boil to reduce it. Put the cut octopus meat and the juices in the skillet for dressing the pasta.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoon salt). Drop in the spaghetti, stirring and separating the strands. Cover the pot, return the water to a boil over high heat, then set the cover ajar and cook the pasta until barely al dente.
• As the spaghetti cooks, bring the octopus meat and sauce in the skillet to a rapid simmer; taste, and add 1/4 teaspoon salt if needed (octopus is naturally salty). Stir in the parsley.
• Lift the spaghetti from the pot, drain briefly, and drop it into the skillet. Toss the pasta and the simmering sauce together for a minute or two, until the spaghetti is nicely coated with sauce and perfectly al dente, and the octopus chunks are distributed throughout the pasta. Turn off the heat, drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and toss again. Heap the spaghetti into warm bowls, making sure each portion gets plenty of octopus pieces, and serve immediately.