This traditional Maltese recipe makes a delicious Octopus sauce. Serve it over Spaghetti.
Preparation & Cooking Time: 75 minutes
Serves: 4
You will need:
Lamb Brand Chickpeas 100g
Lamb Brand Whole Green Peas 100g
Lamb Brand Mixed Spice 1tsp
Lamb Brand Mild Curry 1tsp
Lamb Brand Castor Sugar 1tsp
Lamb Brand Table Salt, to taste
Lamb Brand Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Lamb Brand Bay Leaves 4
Che’ Pasta Spaghetti 400g
Octopus 680g, cleaned
Olive Oil 30ml
Onion 1 large, chopped
Garlic 6 cloves, chopped
Fresh Mint Leaves 6g, chopped
Red Wine 235ml
Grated Orange Zest ½tsp
Grated Lemon Zest ½tsp
Whole Peeled Tomatoes 1can (454g)
Tomato Paste 2tbsp
Potatoes 2, peeled & cubed
Pitted Ripe Olives 10, whole
Fresh Parsley, for garnish
All you have to do is:
Soak the chickpeas and green peas separately for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight, changing the water from time to time.
Rinse the peas and chickpeas, put them in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until cooked. When ready drain them and set aside.
Place the octopus into a large pot and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer over medium heat until octopus is opaque, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow time to cool. Cut into bite-size pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, mint leaves, curry powder and mixed spice; cook and stir until the onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the octopus pieces, wine, lemon and orange zest.
Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chickpeas, green peas, potatoes, olives, castor sugar and bay leaves.
Cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes and octopus are tender, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in spaghetti and return to boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stir occasionally, until cooked through but still slightly firm to the bite (about 9 minutes).
Drain the pasta well and add to the octopus stew. Mix well so that the pasta will absorb all the goodness of the sauce.
Serve hot with some fresh chopped parsley.