Strangozzi with Octopus and Chickpea Sauce

Method

1. Clean the octopus (beak already removed by the fishmonger). Cut off the head, split it in half like a book, and cut into pieces. Separate the tentacles and cut them into bite-sized chunks.
2. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large pan with 3-4 garlic cloves in their skins (in camicia) over medium heat. Sauté until the garlic is golden, not burnt.
3. Add all the octopus pieces to the pan, season with black pepper, and sauté for 5-10 minutes until the octopus releases its water.
4. Stir in 120 g of tomato concentrate and cook for a minute.
5. Pour in an entire bottle of red wine, stir, cover the pan, and let simmer for 50–60 minutes until the octopus is very tender.
6. While the octopus cooks, prepare the chickpea cream: In another pan, heat olive oil with 2-3 garlic cloves in their skins until golden.
7. Add the cooked chickpeas with their liquid, season with black pepper and a pinch of salt, and add a sprig of rosemary. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
8. Remove the garlic cloves and rosemary sprig, then blend the chickpeas with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
9. Cook the strangozzi pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
10. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the octopus sauce. Toss well over low heat to coat the pasta.
11. To serve, spread a generous spoonful of chickpea cream on each plate, then mound the octopus and pasta on top.
12. Garnish with fresh chopped chives and parsley, and finish with a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil.