Spaghetti with Slow Cooked Octopus and Gremolata By Chef Martino Pulito, Cucina Porto Executive Chef

Ingredients (Serves 4)

200g Octopus

40ml olive oil

5g Thyme

5g garlic (about 3 cloves)

2 bay leaves

1 litre canned tomatoes

80g red onion

40ml white wine

50g cherry tomato

400g spaghetti

Gremolata - 10g (parsley, lemon and chill, chopped)

Method

1. Pour olive oil in to a pan and caramelise the octopus (3 mins), or until it starts to change colour (it will be a little bit red in colour).

2. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and stir. 3. Add in the wine and canned tomatoes.

4. Let the sauce simmer for a minimum of 2 hours on a low heat, stirring every ten minutes. The sauce will be ready when the liquid is reduced by half.

6. When the sauce is ready, season with salt and pepper. 7. Cook the pasta (minus a couple of minutes, according to the packet instructions). 8. Toss the pasta with the sauce. 9. Add cherry tomatoes into the pan. 10. Plate the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. 11. Add the gremolata on top of the pasta dish and serve with optional extra chilli.

Cucina Porto at The Star Pyrmont, Sydney star.com.au