Grilled Lemon Pasta With Smokey Octopus

Pasta

Jun 19

An elegant and tasty pasta dish with a creamy grilled lemon - avocado sauce and smoky octopus. Light and with a greek holiday feeling … Give it a try …

The recipe

Grill the lemon

Preheat a cast iron grill or skillet over medium-high heat

Grill the lemon on all sides until lightly charred.

Cut into quarters. Zest or peel two quarters and place the zest in a blender with the squeezed juice from one or two quarters.

Cook the pasta

Peel the garlic.

Boil the pasta together with the peeled garlic cloves following package instructions.

Reserve about 150 ml of pasta water, then drain the pasta.

Set the pasta in a large bowl.

Remove the garlic cloves from the cooking water and reserve them for the sauce.

Grill the octopus

While the pasta cooks, grill the octopus for 4-5 minutes on each side until charred and heated through. When ready, drizzle with olive oil and let rest for 2-3 minutes.

(I used precooked refrigerated octopus. However iff using raw octopus, simmer gently for 45-60 minutes before grilling.)

Make the sauce

In the blender with the grilled lemon zest and juice, add the avocado, parmesan, olive oil, reserved garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and about 100 ml of the pasta water.

Blend at medium-low speed about a minute until smooth and creamy.

Assemble and finish the dish

Pour the sauce over the warm pasta, and gently toss until the pasta is evenly coated. If needed you can add a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Transfer the pasta into the serving plates and top with grilled octopus. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice.

Enjoy !

INGREDIENTS - for two portions

Organic or “Best you can get” !