Octopus in Umido

Serves 4

2 lbs. octopus
2/3 lb. mature tomatoes
1 garlic clove
parsley
chili pepper
1/2 cup white wine
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:

1. Clean the octopus, removing the intestines, eyes, and beak.
2. Wash, dry, and chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
3. In a pan, saute the garlic, pepper and parsley in 8 tbs. of olive oil.
4. While the garlic browns, add the octopus and after a few minutes add the wine.
5. When it evaporates, add the tomatoes (after they have been peeled and chopped), salt, and pepper and cook on low heat for about one hour.

Serve warm.

Octopus in Galera

Serves 4

2 lbs. octopus
2 garlic cloves
parsley
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:

1. Clean the octopus and remove the intestines, eyes, and beak.
2. Wash, dry and chop the octopus into bite-sized pieces
3. In a pot, saute 12 tbs. of oil with chopped garlic and parsley.
4. Before the garlic browns, add the octopus, salt, and pepper.
5. Cover with a lid and cook slowly, for about 30 minutes, stirring often.

Serve hot, lukewarm, or cold.

Octopus alla Luciana

Serves 4
 
4 octopus (about 1/2 pound)
2 garlic cloves
parsley
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:

1. Clean the octopus and remove the intestines, eyes, and beak (leave the skin and tentacles intact).
2. Wash, dry and put the octopus in a crock.
4. Sprinkle with 12 tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and add the garlic and a sprig of parsley.
5. Cover with a lid and, using a very low heat let it simmer for about one hour.

It can be served hot, lukewarm, or cold. It works well as an appetizer.

This recipe appears to have come from the famous neighborhood of Santa Lucia in Naples, which would explain the origin of the name.

You can also cook it with tomatoes and/or spinach.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

1 pound dry spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation

Cook the pasta while preparing the sauce to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; the hot pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce, so this is an important step

Boil salted water, then add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta, keeping 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.