Braised Octopus
As you walk down the streets on the coast of Italy, the slightly salty smell of local seafood markets or pescheria are abundant. Gorgeous cases of whole fish, clams, tiny anchovies, eels, and even octopus greet you and instinctively, you slow down to take in their beauty. Octopus, or polpo in Italian, are a very popular items in these local seafood shops as well as on local restaurant menus. It is quite common to see octopus in Italy grilled and served alongside grilled vegetables, braised like this recipe and served either on its own or cut and added into pasta, or even sashimi style.
Octopus cooking in a fresh tomato sauce
I have tried octopus many times in the states but never had I cooked it before coming to Italy. I was amazed at how simple it is to prepare octopus—basically you start by searing the whole baby octopus in a hot pan with olive oil and garlic, and then you add some white wine to the pan for flavoring. Tomatoes, canned or fresh, are then added, along with red chili peppers for a bit of heat and some salt. You allow the octopus to cook completely and then if serving the tender octopus over pasta, cut it into pieces before adding it back into the tomato sauce and before tossing the entire dish with al dente pasta.
A classic southern Italian dish that may be unique to us, but is as home style as it gets in this corner of the world.
Octopus and tomato sauce served over spaghetti
(To view the recipe click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Braised Octopus with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- * Recipe Courtesy of Mami Camilla Cooking School*
- Add 1/2 cup of olive oil and 3 garlic cloves, sliced, to a large saute pan and let the garlic cook slightly over medium-high heat. Add in a whole baby octopus and cook, turning with tongs until each side has seared for about 30 seconds each.
- Add in 1 cup of dry white wine to the pan and allow it to evaporate over medium heat. Add 28 oz. of diced, canned tomatoes and 1 pint of halved fresh, cherry tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt; if you want to add some heat, add in some crushed red pepper flakes or marinated red chili peppers at this point as well.
- Cover the pan and cook the octopus with the sauce over medium heat for at least 30 minutes, or until the octopus has reduced in size by half and is very tender. Remove the cooked octopus from the sauce, cut it into bite-sized pieces and add it back into the tomato sauce. Cook over medium-low heat for another 10-15 minutes or unti lthe sauce has reduced a bit. Check the sauce to see if more salt needs to be added. Serve the octopus and the tomato sauce over al dente spaghetti.
Directions:
Tagged: braised, culinary school, externship, Italy, Mami Camilla cooking school, octopus, pasta, seafood, Sorrento, tomato sauce, white wine
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