Octopus with linguine Italian style

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 300 g octopus (baby octopus), frozen
• 2 chili peppers
• 5 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• lots of parsley
• 150 ml white wine
• 200 g cocktail tomatoes
• 0.3 jar capers, approx. 2 tbsp
• some sea salt and black pepper from the mill
• 300 g linguine or other spaghetti

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 8 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 9 hours

Thaw the baby octopus. Slice the garlic and chili peppers and marinate them in olive oil overnight in a Tupperware container with the thawed octopus. The thawed octopus should release very little water after thawing and before marinating; it’s best to let it dry on kitchen paper for an hour before marinating. The next day, halve the tomatoes. Heat a large pan, preferably cast iron, until nice and hot. Only when it’s completely hot, add the octopus and marinade. It should sizzle nicely. Briefly sear the octopus for no longer than 3-4 minutes, then deglaze with white wine. Wait until the alcohol has evaporated, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the halved tomatoes. Now add the capers and season everything with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with plenty of parsley. I’d rather use too much parsley than too little. Now reduce the heat to 3 out of 9. Cover the pan. Simmer for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Leave the pasta in the water and remove from the heat. When both are ready, remove the lid. Stir the sauce once with a wooden spoon. Now add the pasta from the pot to the pan. Add a little of the pasta water from the pot to the pan. Heat the dish again at the highest heat, stir everything well, and remove from the heat after 30-40 seconds. Serve and garnish with some fresh parsley.