From the galley:

smoked octopus pappardelle in white wine sauce

utilizes: smoked octopus

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Alright, here's the plan:

1. Invite your octopus squeamish friends over

2. Make this pasta

3. Only tell them there's octopus in it after they rave about how much they love it*
 

Because the thing is: most folks don't actually hate the flavor of octopus. They just hate the idea of octopus.

  We created this recipe as a really approachable way to incorporate octopus into meal. Nothing fancy or exotic about it: just octopus, pasta, white wine and olive oil -- the way the Mediterraneans have been doing it for hundreds of years.

Enjoy!

* This strategy is much riskier if your friend has recently watched The Octopus Teacher on Netflix. Would not recommend.

 

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Cook Time: 15 minutes    Prep Time: 15 minutes    Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

For the pasta:

  • 1 - 2 tins smoked octopus, sliced into chips or smaller chunks

  • 12 oz pasta (we used pappardelle, but linguine or angel hair would also be delicious!)

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 large shallot, finely diced 

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 5 tablespoons butter*

  • 2 tbsp heavy cream

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

  • 2/3 cup dry white wine (we used a sauvignon blanc)

  • Optional: 6 oz fresh mushrooms, shiitake or similar

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For finishing:

  • Fresh lemon

  • Fresh parsley, minced

  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  • Flaky salt, if needed 

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* We used salted butter, and did not add any additional salt while cooking. 

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook pasta just short of al dente, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water 

  2. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Sauté mushrooms and shallots until soft. 

  3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté one additional minute

  4. Add pepper, wine, and butter to the skillet, bring to a low simmer

  5. Once simmering, turn heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream and octopus pieces. Keep on low for two minutes, until the octopus is warmed through.

  6. Add the pasta. Turn using a set of tongs or two forks, until pasta is entirely coated with the sauce. [ Depending on how absorbent the pasta is, a small amount of pasta water, wine, butter, or olive oil may need to be added to loosen the sauce ]

  7. Serve with fresh parsley, fresh Parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon 

Used in this recipe: