Spaghetti with Bell Pepper Cream and Octopus

To prepare spaghetti with bell pepper cream and octopus, start by cooking the octopus: fill a large pot with water, then add a handful of coarse salt, black peppercorns 1, half a lemon cut in two, and the zest of the whole lemon 2. Crush the garlic so it will release its aroma better 3.

Add 2 cloves to the pot 4 along with the parsley. Submerge the octopus 5 and cook for 50 minutes from boiling. Meanwhile, prepare the bell pepper cream: brush the bell peppers with oil 6, then roast them in a static oven at 392°F for 30 minutes, or until the skin is well blistered.

Once ready 7, transfer them to a bowl 8 and cover with plastic wrap 9. Let them cool for about 15 minutes.

Remove the skin from the peppers 10 and extract the internal seeds. Cut the peppers into large pieces 11. Clean and chop the onion 12.

Heat a swirl of oil in a pan 13, add the onion 14, the anchovies 15, and sauté for a few moments.

Add the bell peppers 16, let them season for a few minutes, then cover with a ladle of octopus cooking water 17. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the peppers are very soft 18.

Place the cooked peppers in a tall glass 19 and blend them adding a stream of oil 20, to obtain a smooth and homogeneous cream 21. Set aside.

Once cooked, place the octopus on a cutting board, separate the tentacles from the rest of the body 22, and brush them with a bit of extra-virgin oil 23. Grill the octopus in a hot pan 24 to make it crispy on the outside.

Remove the tentacles from the heat and cut them into chunks 25. Toast the sliced almonds in a static oven at 338°F for 2-3 minutes 26. Place a pot full of salted water on the stove. When it boils, cook the spaghetti three minutes less than the time indicated on the package 27.

In the same pan where you browned the octopus, heat the bell pepper cream with a ladle of cooking water 28. Drain the spaghetti 29 and finish cooking them in the pan 30.

Retrieve the toasted almonds 31 and immediately serve the spaghetti with bell pepper cream, the octopus 32, and the almonds 33.