Description
A weeknight-fast ragu built the way a classic bolognese is: soffritto, tomato paste, wine, then the protein. The octopus is already cooked, so it goes in at the very end, just long enough to take on the sauce.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried pasta (ideally, pappardelle or tagliatelle)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil from the octopus tins, plus more if needed (or extra-virgin olive oil)
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more at the end
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2/3 cup dry white wine (red works, too)
- 2 (4 oz) tins octopus in olive oil, drained with the oil reserved, chopped about 1/4 inch
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta water, scoop out 1 cup in case you need extra
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pappardelle 6 to 7 minutes, to 2 minutes shy of al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta and drizzle it with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, your soffritto, with the salt, pepper, and chili flakes, if using. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and lightly colored.
- Dice the octopus while the soffritto cooks. Depending on your pan, you may get some sticky browning on the bottom, which is a bonus rather than a requirement. Tin oil reduces as the fish juices cook off, so reserve all of it and add another tablespoon or two if the pan looks dry. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it darkens to a brick red.The oil will look a little separated from the jammy paste and the pan will get sizzly.
- Pour in the wine, scraping up everything stuck to the bottom of the pot, and simmer about 1 minute, allowing the wine to reduce.
- Stir in the octopus and toss to coat, about 1 minute. The sauce will be very thick at this stage, closer to chili than a pasta sauce.
- Add the drained pasta and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce, comes up to al dente, and everything is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan and basil, then taste and re-season, adding a splash more pasta water if it feels tight.
- Serve with extra basil and Parmesan.
Notes
Pre-cooked octopus (refrigerated, not tinned): Use about 6 oz poached tentacles, chopped the same way. Start with 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, since you won't have tin oil. Plan to allow this type of octopus to simmer in the sauce for an extra 4-5 minutes.
Raw octopus: It needs to be poached until tender first, which takes well over an hour. Full instructions are in the notes of my Greek Grilled Octopus.
Polenta instead of pasta: If you don't have pasta water to add to the sauce, loosen it with hot water, a splash at a time, until it's loose enough to spoon. That's usually about 1/2 cup. You'll likely need an additional pinch of salt, as well.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner, Main Dishes
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian