Casarecce pasta with musky octopus and eggplant

To prepare casarecce with musky octopus and eggplant, start by draining the eggplant. To do this, wash and trim before cutting into slices about ½ inch (1 cm) thick 1, and then into cubes 2. Place a colander in a bowl, then pour in the eggplant cubes and sprinkle with coarse salt 3.

Cover with a plate 4 and place a weight on it, such as a container of dried pulses or ceramic balls 5. This process rids the eggplants of their bitter juices. It will take about an hour and then you’ll be able to see how much dark water 6 has drained into the bowl.

Meanwhile, prepare the musky octopus: Separate the tentacles from the heads 7, slice the heads open 8 and cut into strips 9, 

then separate the tentacles 10 from one another and set aside. Peel the shallot 11 and chop finely 12.

Lastly, chop the fresh chili pepper after removing the stalk 13. In a frying pan, brown the shallot and chili in the extra virgin olive oil. Once hot, add the sliced musky octopus 14. After a few moments of cooking over high heat, you’ll notice that the octopus will start to take on color; now add white wine 15 and allow to simmer so the alcohol evaporates.

In the meantime, wash the cherry tomatoes, remove the stalks, and cut into four pieces 16. As soon as the alcohol has evaporated from the sauce, add the tomatoes to the sauce, season with salt to taste 17, then cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes 18.

Once the eggplant has been draining for an hour or so, rinse quickly under running water 19, then place the cubes on a clean dishcloth 20 and pat dry to remove excess water 21.

Pour the vegetable oil for frying into a narrow pot suitable for deep frying. Once it’s hot, add the eggplant cubes and cook for a few minutes 22. As soon as the eggplant is cooked, take the cubes out with a slotted spoon 23 and let them drain a little into a colander. Then taste and add salt if necessary 24.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water 25. Meanwhile, wash the parsley, dry, and chop with a knife 26 before setting aside. As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain it using a slotted spoon and leave it to warm in the pan for a few moments together with the musky octopus sauce 27.

Add the eggplant 28 and chopped parsley, mix everything together well 29 and finally serve the casarecce pasta with musky octopus and eggplant while still piping hot 30!