A few months ago, Central Market's Greek Festival turned us on to the delights of tiny octopi. I am pretty certain that my family is sick of octopus, but I've come up with a super simple and tasty recipe that everyone loves!
Octo-Pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds of small octopus
- 1/2 pound of pasta (I love Montebello's Farfalle!)
- Coarse sea salt
- 10-15 Peppercorns
- 1 large clove of Garlic
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 an Onion, chopped
- 8-10 Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped
- 1 bunch of Arugula, chopped
- 1 24 oz jar of tomato sauce (like Mom's Garlic & Basil Spaghetti Sauce)
Directions
- Heat your grill. You will want a VERY hot grill for the Octopus, so get it started early.
- Fill two large pots with water and a sprinkle of sea salt. Both pots will eventually hold boiling water, so don't overfill.
- In one pot, add the Peppercorns and Garlic and bring to a boil.
- Add the Octopus to the boiling water. Wait for the water to come back to a boil, then place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to lo. The Octopus will boil for 20-25 minutes.
- Turn the heat on under the second pot of water to bring it to a boil. When it reaches a boil, add your pasta and cook per the package's instructions.
- Meanwhile, wash and chop all of the vegetables.
- In a skillet, on medium heat, add a generous dash of Olive Oil (enough to keep the vegetables from sticking to your pan).
- Add the onions to the olive oil, sautéing lightly before adding the mushrooms. Shortly before the pasta is done boiling, add the arugula and sauté for about a minute before adding the tomato sauce.
- By now, the octopus should be thoroughly boiled. Pour the contents of the Octopus pot through a strainer, then mix the Octopus with a generous amount of Olive Oil. I recruited help for this step:
- Take the Octopus out to the grill and use a vegetable basket to charr them ever so slightly. I use high heat for about 3-5 minutes, tossing the Octopus a few times to evenly cook.
- Now your pasta and veggies should be ready. Strain the pasta, then top with the octopus and vegetable/sauce mixture.
- Combine all of the ingredients, and dinner is served!