The risotto with baby octopus is a first course that, besides being tasty, is also very easy to prepare and combines the first and second courses in a single dish. It is a preparation that can also be enriched with other ingredients like clams, for example. I preferred to cook it only with baby octopus because I wanted them to be the “stars” of this dish. The risotto with baby octopus contains neither gluten nor lactose and is therefore ideal for those with specific dietary needs.
Baby octopus, depending on size, have varying cooking times. In my recipe, the baby octopus weighed about 3.5 oz, so they were quite large. The cooking time, in these cases, is about 30-35 minutes, bearing in mind that the heads cook faster than the tentacles, which tend to remain chewy. To make this risotto, it is necessary to start cooking the baby octopus first, which will continue cooking with the rice that usually cooks in 12/15 minutes at most.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs cleaned baby octopus
- 1 cup Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice
- as needed dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- 0.1 oz parsley leaves
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed fine salt
- as needed broth for risotto
- 1 qt water
- 4 cherry tomatoes (also 'piennolo' variety)
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 baby octopus head
Steps
Prepare the broth, flavoring it with celery, carrot, the head of one of the baby octopus cut into thin strips, and cherry tomatoes cut in half, which, in addition to color, will also add flavor; or, if possible, make a fish stock.
Bring the water with the aromatics to a boil and let it simmer for about twenty minutes to infuse, over low heat.
In the meantime, let’s take care of the baby octopus. Detach the heads and slice them thinly. Cut the tentacles into not too small pieces.
In a very large pot, where we will also cook the rice, heat two generous tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and two cloves of garlic in their skins, over low heat.
When the garlic cloves are perfectly browned, remove them, increase the heat, and add our baby octopus.
Let them brown over high heat for about 5 minutes, turning them often.
During this time, they will turn a brick red color and release their “water.”
After about 5 minutes, pour in the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
Transfer the pot to the smallest burner over low heat, cover, and let them cook for exactly 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add the rice and, over high heat, toast it in the sauce that has, in the meantime, developed, stirring continuously for about a minute.
Now start adding the boiling broth (making sure to also include the portion of baby octopus we put in the broth), keeping the heat medium, stirring often, and adding more as the previous amount is almost completely absorbed.
As the risotto nears cooking, add less and less broth until reaching an al dente consistency and an enveloping creaminess given by the starch released by our rice. Salt the risotto halfway through cooking.
When the risotto is al dente and the broth is completely absorbed, turn off the heat and cover the pot, letting it rest for two to three minutes at most.
Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley leaves with a knife until almost creamy, transfer it to a small bowl, add extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon is more than enough) and a pinch of fine salt, and mix.
Serve our delicious and fragrant risotto with baby octopus immediately, topping each portion with a teaspoon of parsley-flavored olive oil.
Bon appetit
