Have you ever heard of the octopus genovese?

Among the first courses typical of Neapolitan cuisine there is one that is little known but deserves to be tried: the genovese di polpo.

The octopus genovese is a Neapolitan recipe of ancient origins. In fact, it seems that it was prepared for the first time in the nineteenth century even if it was only at the end of those years that the recipe was definitively codified in its current form. This dish is considered a poor version of the classic Genoese sauce recipe with which it shares the long cooking times , the tomato sauce and, of course, the golden onions .

The Genoese octopus sauce goes perfectly with pasta dishes , especially the short one, and is an easy recipe that is worth keeping in mind when you don’t know what to cook. In fact, the dish will take on a unique , almost creamy consistency , difficult to find in other recipes of this type.

How to prepare the recipe for octopus genovese

1. First, finely chop celery and carrot and brown them in a pan with oil and a clove of garlic.
2. Meanwhile, cut the tentacles and the head of the octopus into chunks and add them to the pan.
3. Deglaze with the white wine and when you no longer smell the alcohol rising with the steam, remove the clove of garlic, add the onions cut into thin slices, a pinch of red pepper and the tomato paste.
4. Let it cook for 3 hours over low heat and with the lid on, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary. At the end of cooking, taste and season with salt.
5. Cook the pasta in abundant salted water for the time indicated on the package, then drain and toss with the sauce.

The Genoese is excellent for dressing all types of pasta, especially the most typical of Neapolitan cuisine such as ziti and paccheri . But if you don’t know the original Genoese recipe, then we invite you to try it!

storage

Since it is a fish sauce, we recommend that you consume it within a couple of days, always after having heated it in a pan.