Pappardelle With Octopus & Olive Tapenade

Recipe Directions

1. For best results, take the octopus out of the refrigerator 5 minutes before starting to cook. If you skip this step, you may need to cook the octopus longer than this recipe card indicates. Set your oven to broil.
2. Fill a 4-6 quart pot 2/3 full with water. Put the pot on the stove over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of salt to the water. (The water should taste salty). Bring the water up to a boil, and then start step #3.
3. Place the octopus (a) onto a baking tray lined with foil. Discard any herb sprigs in the marinade. Season the octopus with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the tray of octopus in your oven and broil for 5 to 10 minutes. Every 1-2 minutes, rotate the baking tray 90 degrees and check if the octopus is done. (Ideally you want to have a little char on the octopus.)
4. While the octopus is cooking, add the pappardelle (b) to the pot of salted boiling water and cook for 6 minutes.
5. Once the pasta is in the water, heat a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. When the pan has warmed up, add 1 tbsp of oil or enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the peppers, onion and fennel (c) to the pan and season very lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 2 minutes, turn the heat down to low and keep the vegetables in the pan while you finish the dish.
6. When the octopus has finished cooking, remove the baking tray from the oven and place the octopus on a cutting board to rest.
7. When the pasta has cooked for 6 minutes, strain the water and add the pasta to the saute pan of vegetables. Add the roasted garlic sauce (d) and black olive & thai chili tapenade (e) to the pan. Stir well to incorporate the ingredients together.
8. Cut the octopus into individual tentacles or bite-sized pieces. Place the parsley (f) on the cutting board and give it a rough chop. Add both the parsley and octopus to the skillet. Gently stir to coat everything with sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you wish.
9. Spoon the pasta onto your serving plates.