Spaghetti with Octopus Puttanesca

Spaghetti with octopus puttanesca is a variation of the classic Neapolitan dish with an extra touch of the sea. Here’s how you can prepare it:

Ingredients

• 400 g of spaghetti
• 1 medium octopus (about 500-700 g), cleaned
• 500 g of cherry tomatoes
• 100 g of pitted black olives
• 2 anchovy fillets in oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 chili pepper (quantity to taste)
• Salted capers (to taste)
• Chopped parsley
• Salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Start with cooking the octopus. Put the octopus in a pot with cold water and bring it to a boil. Let it cook for about 40 minutes until tender. Once cooked, drain it and cut it into pieces.
2. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil with the garlic cloves and anchovy fillets. Let the anchovies dissolve in the oil.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes cut in half, the olives, and the capers rinsed from the salt. Cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the octopus pieces and let everything flavor for a few minutes. Add the chili pepper to taste.
5. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in a pot with plenty of salted water following the package instructions to achieve an al dente texture.
6. Drain the spaghetti and transfer it to the pan with the sauce. Stir-fry to mix well.
7. Complete with fresh chopped parsley before serving.

Garnish the dish with fresh parsley and serve immediately. Remember that the freshness of the ingredients, especially the octopus, will make a difference in the final result of the dish. It’s an excellent combination of land and sea that brings the intense and bold flavors typical of Southern Italian cuisine to the table. Enjoy your meal!