PASTA CON POLPO

I KNOW, I KNOW! INDEED, PAOLO DOES KNOW, that it's been a very long while since I've written anything but please, I've been just a tad busy with other professional duties like learning a rather large chunk of Rachmaninoff and all the Chopin Nocturnes. Please forgive me for my neglect. I can only apologize now for repeated offenses in the future as life over the next few months is going to get very harried for me.

As we are now deep in summer, it's fitting that I should write about two elements of the season's fare: seafood and the tomato (n.b., August approaches with its abundance of juicy, sweet, peach-dripping tomatoes!).

SPAGHETTINI CON POLPO

In any event, when I was a little boy, my grandmother made this dish all the time. However, my interest in octopus had nothing to do with touching it much less putting it in my mouth. Octopus and the dreaded canned peas were my nemeses. She did, however, impart the ways of making this dish to some of the "in-laws" who were the German, Polish and Irish wives of cousins, nephews and grandsons. Indeed, everyone marveled at how well these "midigane" (Sicilian for American) could cook pure and simple Sicilian fare. One of them became a fabulous cook in her own right and truly excelled at this dish after working her way up from how to boil water and up ("WHAT? You married a girl who cannot cook? Impossibile!!) under the ever-watchful eye of my Nonna Cefalú! It only takes curiosity and imagination and miracles in the kitchen can and do happen!

You will remember (or not) that I wrote about breadcrumbs (a Sicilian staple) many months ago (April 15, 2013). Remember-ing the cardinal rule of no cheese with fish or seafood,  bread crumbs (preferably toasted) form the essential finishing touch to this dish.

For a complete recipe on how to make octopus for this dish, refer to my blog entry entitled, "Octopus Salad" dated, January 27, 2014. This recipe can be made with large or baby octopus, but be forewarned, one fully grown octopus can weigh at least 2-3 pounds. For this dish, I allow a pound of octopus for two people as a main course or four as a first course. Either way, you don't want to serve more than 100 grams of pasta per pasta. 

Serves 4.

For the sauce:

1 lb. cooked octopus cut into small pieces if using a large octopus or heads removed from bodies of baby octopus.

Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic smashed
4 or 5 anchovy filets
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
Freshly chopped thyme and parsley
1 lg. can peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) or 
3-4 cups freshly made passato di pomodoro (April 7, 2013)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large handful of fresh basil cut into chiffonade to be put into the sauce at the end before serving.

Cover the entire surface of a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil. Heat until almost smoking. Add the onion, garlic and hot pepper flakes. Saute over medium heat until the onions become translucent. Add the anchovies, the octopus and the white wine. Bring the liquid to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook and reduce to 1/4 cup of liquid. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil again and reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Add the basil. The sauce should be thick and rich with body and texture.

1 lb. pasta of your choice (long thin pastas like spaghetti, linguini or even the much finer cappellini are best).

Meanwhile, fill a large stock pot with water, cover and place over moderately hight heat. Bring the water to the boil, add a handful of Kosher salt and the pasta.  Cover the pot again to rapidly bring the water back to the boil. Uncover and cook, stirring often until al dente. Before draining the pasta, add a ladleful of pasta cooking water to the tomato sauce and stir into the sauce. Invert the entire amount of drained pasta into the sauce and toss with any leftover chopped parsley and basil.

Serve in large soup bowls and sprinkle some toasted breadcrumbs on top. 

Buon appetito!