Polpi in Purgatorio for #ItalianFWT

This month the Italian Food, Wine & Travel - #ItalianFWT - blogging group is traveling to their eleventh region of Italy: Abruzzo. I'm joining for the just the second time and was thrilled to be heading to Abruzzo by tabletop and goblet since I never made it there in real life.

Follow along the Abruzzo journey with my other Abruzzi fans and make sure to join us next month on October 3^rd as we will be covering the region of Umbria.  You can also chat with us live this Saturday morning at 11am EST on Twitter at #ItalianFWT.  Hope to see you there!

• Vino Travels – The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Terramane DOCG with Cerelli Spinozzi
• Rockin' Red Blog - The Natural Wonders of Abruzzo
• Italophilia - An American in Abruzzo
• Confessions of a Culinary Diva - Abruzzo Comfort Food & Wine
• Cooking Chat - Pizza Pairing: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for #ItalianFWT
• The Wining Hour - 3 Wine & Food Pairings with Gusto from Abruzzo
• Food Wine Click - Abruzzo 1st Course: Farro and Butternut Squash Soup with Passerina
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla - Polpi in Purgatorio
• Enofylz Wine Blog - Grilled Lamb Lollipops with Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto

In My Glass...
I went for one of the region's signature wines: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. I actually set out searching for Cerasuolo, but I couldn't find one. I'll keep looking.

Montepulciano, the grape variety, is indigenous to the Peligna Valley and most notably from the hills known as the Colline Teramane, the hills surrounding the town of Teramo. The wine is characterized by a deep regal hue and notes of spice and red currants. This bottle - 2012 La Valentina Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - is no exception. It had a warmth and softness that created the perfect flavor foil for a bolder dish.

On My Plate...
I was inspired to make a dish with a little heat: Polpi in Purgatorio, baby octopus in a spicy broth.

Polpi in Purgatorio

Ingredients

• 2 pounds baby octopus
• ½ C olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 1 t red chili pepper (you can use more, but my mini boys don't like things too spicy yet)
• 2 C chopped tomatoes
• 1 t smoked paprika
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped
• bread for serving

Procedure

Clean the octopus in salted water and rinse well. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add in the onions and red chili pepper flakes.

Once the onions have softened and are beginning to turn translucent, add in the tomatoes, smoked paprika, and the octopus. bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and cover.  Braise the octopus in the tomato broth for at least 90 minutes. Stir occasionally.

To serve, fold in the fresh herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grilled pieces of bread.

This dish was multiple days in the making because the fish market has open hours that are not working people-friendly. I arrived at 5:15pm on Monday; they were closed. Tuesday evening I went on a date with my Love and sent the boys to the farmers' market with their babysitter, so I skipped the market. I arrived at 4:30pm on Wednesday; they were closed. So, I ran over there during my lunch break today. Friday...the day my post was due. Success. Phew. If I had missed them again, I was going to throw in the towel and just drown my sorrows in that bottle! Thankfully, I didn't have to do that.

That's all for now, folks. Cin cin. Catch you next month for #ItalianFWT as we head to Umbria.