Paccheri pasta with octopus alla Genovese
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs
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Servings
4
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Calories
774 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Italian
Paccheri pasta with octopus alla Genovese
Description
This recipe for Paccheri pasta with octopus alla Genovese involves cleaning and cutting fresh or thawed octopus into pieces combined with finely chopped celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. These aromatics are gently sautéed before adding octopus pieces, which are then cooked with white wine to tenderize and infuse flavor. The process continues into a ragu-style sauce simmered slowly to meld the ingredients into a savory, slightly sweet, and tender seafood ragù.
The onions are sliced evenly to contribute sweetness and texture, while celery and carrots add earthiness. The octopus, tenderized by cooking with wine and vegetables, provides a mild seafood flavor. The choice of paccheri or similar tubular pasta allows the sauce to cling effectively, ensuring a balanced bite.
This seafood pasta is suitable as a main dish and pairs well with simply dressed greens or bread to scoop the sauce. The ragu maintains its qualities when refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for longer storage. Adding Italian peperoncino can introduce a mild heat if desired.
Ingredients
- 14 oz paccheri pasta or ziti or other pasta tubes
- 1.9 lbs octopus fresh or frozen
- 2 talks celery washed and finely chopped
- 2 carrot washed and finely chopped
- 4 lbs onion peeled and sliced even
- 1 glass white wine
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste, freshly ground
Instructions
Clean the octopus
- If you buy a fresh octopus, ask the fishmonger to clean it. Otherwise, you need to remove the eyes and the innards from the head if you want to use it. Every part of an octopus can be eaten including the head. Once it is cleaned, it’s the same as a squid/calamari body and good to eat. You will also have to remove the beak. Check out this how to article from Wikihow in the recipe notes
Prepare the ingredients
- Then thoroughly wash the octopus. If it's frozen, defrost completely first. Then cut it into small pieces. You can use all the octopus, tentacles, body and head. Wash and chop the celery and carrots finely. Peel and slice the onions. Peel the garlic.
Make the octopus ragu
- Sauté the celery, carrots and garlic with olive oil over a medium heat in a heavy deep pan that has a lid (I used my Dutch oven). When the veg has softened, add the octopus pieces, mix everything together and let sauté for 3-5 minutes. Then add the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Finally, add the onions on top of the octopus, season with salt and a pinch of pepper and cover the pot with a lid.
- Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the octopus pieces and the size of the original octopus if you used a whole fresh one. Cook for about 90 minutes- 2 hours over a very low heat. Keep checking that the sauce does not stick. Stir occasionally and add a little water if it seems too dry. However, the onions will produce a lot of liquid. When the octopus is tender your ragu is ready.
Cook the pasta and serve
- Once the octopus is ready, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Save a cup of pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and add it to the octopus ragu. If it seems dry, add a little of the saved pasta cooking water. I transferred the ragu to a flatter pan before adding the pasta and pasta water.
- Mix the pasta and octopus ragu together and serve immediately.
Notes
- If needed, check wikihow for detailed instructions on cleaning octopus before cooking.
- Use pasta tubes like paccheri, ziti, or similar to hold the octopus ragu sauce well.
- Add red chili pepper (Italian peperoncino) for a slightly spicy variation.
- The ragu stores well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and can be frozen for several months.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 774 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 774kcal | 39% |
| Carbohydrates | 130g | 43% |
| Protein | 51g | 102% |
| Fat | 4g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 102mg | 34% |
| Sodium | 557mg | 23% |
| Potassium | 1875mg | 40% |
| Fiber | 13g | 52% |
| Sugar | 26g | 52% |
| Vitamin A | 5514IU | 110% |
| Vitamin C | 51mg | 57% |
| Calcium | 273mg | 27% |
| Iron | 14mg | 78% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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