Spaghetti with Baby Octopus Ragù

Method

1. Clean the moscardini: turn the hood inside out and remove the innards. Flip it over and remove the beak by pushing a finger inside. Remove the eyes by making two small incisions around each eye and pulling them out without breaking.
2. Rinse the moscardini well under running water. In a baking dish, add a little water and coarse salt. Rub the moscardini with this mixture to remove any sand and impurities. Rinse again under running water.
3. Crush a garlic clove, remove the skin and the central germ. Finely chop the garlic.
4. In a tall pot, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped garlic. Add a small amount of chili pepper. Cook over low heat without burning.
5. Take a tender stem of parsley, chop it finely, and add it to the soffritto.
6. Add the anchovy fillets; they will melt during cooking, intensifying the sea flavor.
7. Add the desalted capers and the pitted black olives.
8. Add the cleaned moscardini. Turn up the heat to high. Cook for about a minute until they release some water.
9. Pour in a glass of dry white wine, keeping the heat high so the alcohol evaporates. Season with salt and pepper (be careful with salt as capers and anchovies are already salty).
10. Add fresh thyme and marjoram.
11. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
12. After 10 minutes, add the tomato sauce. Turn up the heat to bring back to a boil, then cover and cook over low heat for exactly 45 minutes from the moment it starts boiling.
13. Once cooked, turn off the heat and let the ragù rest in the pot for at least 30 minutes so the moscardini become very tender.
14. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to package directions.
15. Heat a serving of ragù in a pan, drain the spaghetti al dente, add to the pan, and toss well. If needed, add a little pasta cooking water. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh chopped parsley leaves.