Slow-Cooker Octopus with Red Wine Sauce Over Linguine

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots (from 2 carrots)
• 1 cup chopped celery (from 3 celery stalks)
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots (from 3 to 4 shallots)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (from 3 garlic cloves)
• 1 (26.46 ounce) package chopped tomatoes (such as Pomì)
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 lb cleaned octopus (tubes and tentacles), rinsed
• 12 oz uncooked whole-grain linguine
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chopped carrots, celery, and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, salt, thyme, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle the octopus into the sauce. Cover and cook on LOW until the octopus is tender, 5 hours to 5 hours and 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to the package directions, omitting the salt and fat, and transfer to a serving platter or bowl, and keep warm.
3. Remove the octopus, reserving the sauce in the slow cooker. Cut the octopus into 1-inch pieces, and add to the pasta; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the reserved sauce through a wire-mesh strainer into a medium saucepan to equal 5 cups, discarding the solids. Bring to a boil over high, and boil until reduced to 4 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the pepper. Spoon about 2 cups of the sauce over the octopus and pasta; sprinkle with the parsley.