Papardelle With Octopus

Octopus is one of the favorite sea food of the Greece. Eating air-dreid and grilled octopus while drinking ouzo by the sea means summer is here!! This time I propose using octopus for something different. Pasta.....


 
Woke up today after slowly overcoming the fantastic time we had in Milan, and decided I would make fresh papardelle with octopus which I boiled yesterday. Octopus does not need much...just throw it in the pot with nothing ...really nothing, cover it, very slow heat and forget about it for one hour. But of course since you are a conciencious cook you will check on it every 20 minutes lest it does not have any liquid. You will see that it will shed all its water and boil in it. It is salty enough just by living in the sea!!

Papardelle for 4:

Ingredients:
- Fresh pasta made with 400 gr of all purpose flour, four medium eggs, and a pinch of salt.
- Your already boiled octopus 1,5 kg when boiled cut in small pieces.
-   400 gr small tomatoes washed and halved.
-  1/4 bunch of dill finely cut.
-  1 crushed clove of garlic.
-  2 little dried Indian chili peppers to give the food some excitement!
-  Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

The Octopus:
-  Thaw your frozen octopus overnight.
-  Wash octopus under running water.
-  Throw in deep pan with nothing and cover.
-  Cook on low heat covered for 1 hour. Check every 20 minutes for doneness. 
-  When done cut in small pieces all tentacles, main body, head and set aside.

The Pasta:
- Throw in 400 gr of all purpose flour in your Kitchen Aid mixer.
-  Break 4 medium eggs in the center.
-  Add your pinch of salt.
-  Start mixing slowly until egg mixes with the flour.
-  Increase speed to make your dough about 10 minutes.
-  Cover the dough with film wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
-  Bring out and start making your pasta sheets. For details please check my recipe for fresh pasta.

-  Let sheets dry.
-  Roll into rolls and cut with knife to the desired width. Wide since we are making Papardelle.

-  Open all rolls on a platter and set aside till needed (max 2 hours or else they will dry up).

Boil the Pasta:
 -  Put over 4 liters of water to boil. 
-   When boiled add salt and pasta.
-   Wait till they float, wait another couple of minutes check for " al dente" and drain into the sauce.

Making of the Sauce:
-  Add olive oil to the pan just to cover the bottom.
-  Add the crushed garlic and dillis.
-  Saute for about 2 minutes then add the halved tomatoes.

-  Cover and simmer till the water for the pasta boils.
-  When the water boils add the pasta to the water and the boiled octopus to the simmering tomato, garlic, dill, oil mixture. Stir.

-  When the pasta is ready, spoon with the special pasta claw like spoon the pasta into the sauce. No problem if some water is transferred as well.
-  Mix and serve.

A small suggestion if I may:

When cutting up the octopus tentacles leave one or two asside whole when boiled, to dry, on a hot grill to give it the smoky taste. Goes very nicely with ouzo.

Enjoy, and Happy Summer to all my friends and readers.
Stelio
P.S. It is already summer in Greece.