Pasta with Octopus and Pecorino

Method

1. Clean the octopus: cut off the head, remove the beak and eyes. Rinse well.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a small amount of salt. Dip the octopus into the boiling water three times (to curl the tentacles), then fully submerge.
3. Cook the octopus for 30-40 minutes (for 300-400g octopus). Turn off the heat and let the octopus cool in its cooking water.
4. Remove the octopus from the water (reserve the water). Cut it in half lengthwise.
5. Grill or pan-sear the octopus halves in a hot pan with a drizzle of oil until crispy on the outside, about 10 minutes. Set aside, then cut into pieces.
6. In a separate pan, heat olive oil with the stems of mentuccia (nepitella) and a garlic clove. Add a ladle of the reserved octopus cooking water. Simmer for a minute, then discard the stems.
7. Cook rigatoni in the reserved octopus water until al dente.
8. When the pasta is almost ready, transfer it to the sauce pan. Add a little pasta water if needed. Add the octopus pieces.
9. Turn off the heat, add grated pecorino romano and fresh mentuccia leaves. Toss vigorously to create a creamy sauce.
10. Serve immediately with extra pecorino if desired.