Spaghetti with Octopus Ragu
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti
- Octopus (700 g)
- Red wine (120 ml)
- Tomato passata (500 ml)
- Onion
- Chilli
- Salt
- Olive oil
Method:
Octopus ragu
Start with the octopus. It is perfectly fine, and often actually better, to use frozen octopus for this recipe. Freezing helps break down the fibres of the meat, which makes the octopus more tender once cooked. If you are using fresh octopus, you can still get a wonderful result, but it may need a longer cooking time. Traditionally, fresh octopus is sometimes beaten or bashed with a rolling pin or a meat mallet before cooking, to help tenderise it. This is an old-fashioned but effective method, especially if the octopus is large.
If your octopus is frozen, let it defrost completely before cooking. Rinse it under cold water and check that it is clean. Cut it into small chunks, not too tiny, because the pieces will shrink a little during cooking.
Tomato sauce
In a large pan, heat a little olive oil and add the finely chopped onion. Cook it gently until it becomes soft and sweet, without letting it burn. Add the chilli according to your taste, then add the octopus pieces. Fry the octopus for a few minutes, stirring well, so it starts to release its juices and take on flavour from the onion and chilli.
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for a few minutes, until the alcohol has evaporated. At this point, add the tomato passata and a little salt. Stir everything together, lower the heat, and let the sauce simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
Check the octopus with a fork. If it is tender, the sauce is ready. If it still feels firm, continue cooking it gently for another 10-20 minutes, adding a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick. Fresh octopus may need more time than frozen octopus, so do not rush this part. The sauce is ready when the octopus is soft and the tomato has become rich and full of flavour.
Pasta
Separately, cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and mix it directly into the octopus and tomato sauce, letting everything come together for a minute in the pan.
Serving
Serve immediately. And very important: do not add cheese. With seafood pasta, especially a rich octopus ragu like this, the flavour of the sea should stay clean and strong.