Inglenook RecIpes
Inglenook Recipes
Octopus Sauce for Spaghetti Italians don’t forget spaghetti, even on Christmas Eve. We stew the octopus together with wine and a cork (later discarded), and then toss the flavored octopus into a bowl of spaghetti. The smaller octopi are the most recommended for this recipe. —Italia Coppola (Francis’s mother) Great with any of our red wines Serves 4 to 6 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup frying oil of your choice 2 to 3 whole octopi (small to medium). If not cleaned, ask the fishmonger to clean for you. 2 cans Italian plum tomatoes, crushed in a blender 1/3 can tomato paste 1/4 cup red wine 1/3 onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 whole clove of garlic 1/8 cup of parsley, chopped; add to sauce while cooking 1 bottle cork to help tenderize octopus, then discard Salt and pepper to taste 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of spaghetti or linguine Preparation: Wash octopus and dry well, then cut into bite size pieces. Place oil and whole garlic clove in pan. When garlic is golden brown remove and throw away. Place cut octopus in hot oil and remove when pieces are golden brown, then set aside. Add the thinly sliced onion to the hot oil. When the onion is almost golden brown, add the wine for 1 minute under high flame, then lower the flame. When the wine starts to evaporate, add the crushed plum tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes and add octopus and cork. Allow octopus to cook in sauce for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, then remove and set aside. Add salt and pepper to sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes. If the sauce is too watery, add 1/3 can of tomato paste during the 20 minutes cooking time. You may add water or more wine if sauce becomes too thick. Add the octopus to the sauce the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. Add the parsley and chopped garlic the last 2 minutes. If octopus appears to become tough instead of tender after the first 10 minutes of cooking, add extra cork from any wine bottle for the remaining 10 minutes of cooking time. For some unexplainable reason, the corks act as a tenderizer for the octopus. Of course, throw away the corks before serving. Serve over spaghetti or linguine.
Inglenook Recipes
Octopus Sauce for Spaghetti Italians don’t forget spaghetti, even on Christmas Eve. We stew the octopus together with wine and a cork (later discarded), and then toss the flavored octopus into a bowl of spaghetti. The smaller octopi are the most recommended for this recipe. —Italia Coppola (Francis’s mother) Great with any of our red wines Serves 4 to 6 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup frying oil of your choice 2 to 3 whole octopi (small to medium). If not cleaned, ask the fishmonger to clean for you. 2 cans Italian plum tomatoes, crushed in a blender 1/3 can tomato paste 1/4 cup red wine 1/3 onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 whole clove of garlic 1/8 cup of parsley, chopped; add to sauce while cooking 1 bottle cork to help tenderize octopus, then discard Salt and pepper to taste 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of spaghetti or linguine Preparation: Wash octopus and dry well, then cut into bite size pieces. Place oil and whole garlic clove in pan. When garlic is golden brown remove and throw away. Place cut octopus in hot oil and remove when pieces are golden brown, then set aside. Add the thinly sliced onion to the hot oil. When the onion is almost golden brown, add the wine for 1 minute under high flame, then lower the flame. When the wine starts to evaporate, add the crushed plum tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes and add octopus and cork. Allow octopus to cook in sauce for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, then remove and set aside. Add salt and pepper to sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes. If the sauce is too watery, add 1/3 can of tomato paste during the 20 minutes cooking time. You may add water or more wine if sauce becomes too thick. Add the octopus to the sauce the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. Add the parsley and chopped garlic the last 2 minutes. If octopus appears to become tough instead of tender after the first 10 minutes of cooking, add extra cork from any wine bottle for the remaining 10 minutes of cooking time. For some unexplainable reason, the corks act as a tenderizer for the octopus. Of course, throw away the corks before serving. Serve over spaghetti or linguine.
