Octopus in tomato sauce

This magnificent master of disguise makes for a mean supper. If you haven’t yet, check out this incredible video of this shape-shifter and then come back. Amazing, right? Nature is so rad. This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman (thanks, Mark!)

Preparation: Slice the head from the tentacles at the bottom of the “neck.” Trim out the beak and center head section by turning the head inside out and removing all of the innards. Only the white meat should be left. Rinse out the cavity and flip it right side out again. Now put it all in a pot of water with 3 cloves of garlic and a bay leaf and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about an hour. Drain and you’re ready for action.

Ingredients:

• 1 octopus

• 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed (for boil)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (for sauce)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons capers

• ½ cup kalamata olives

• ½ cup red wine (plus 1 cup for the chef)

• 1 large can chopped tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• salt & pepper

• Pasta, if you’d like

Method:

After draining, cut your octopus into bite-size pieces. Heat your pan, add oil, sautee your onion for a couple minutes, then add capers, olives, tomatoes and wine. Cook for a few minutes and add the garlic, parsley, and octopus. Simmer, add salt and pepper to taste, and voila! Taste the tentacles of magic. Good with pasta.