Octopus with macaroni

1. Clean the octopus: turn the hood inside out and remove the viscera.
2. Also, apply pressure and remove the mouth.
3. Rinse thoroughly and cut the octopus into pieces.
4. Heat the olive oil in a pot and sauté the onion until slightly wilted for a few minutes, but making sure it does not go brown.
5. Add the octopus pieces and sauté for a few more minutes, until it changes color and turns reddish.
6. Sprinkle with the herbs and combine to release flavors.
7. Add the tomato paste, rubbing it into the base of the pot with a wooden spoon.
8. Finish with the wine and deglaze (remove and dissolve browned food residue from the bottom of the pot).
9. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate; mix in the grated tomatoes and enough water to cover the ingredients.
10. Cover and simmer until the octopus becomes tender.
11. Add the macaroni and some more water to cook the pasta (if necessary).
12. Simmer on a low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the pasta is cooked and the food is somewhat juicy. It should not be completely dry.
13. Season towards the end – if the octopus is fresh, adding salt may not even be necessary as the octopus is sometimes salty enough.
14. On the contrary, you may have to add a pinch of sugar to balance out the flavors.

TIP

• When boiling short pasta (macaroni, pasta shells, orzo pasta etc) in a sauce, there must be enough juice left over when the food is ready so that the pasta does not stick together.