C – I wanted to scare Jim on Halloween …
I think I ended up scaring myself, instead. Last year, Jim was on a mission to show off his scary Halloween dish with black (squid ink) pasta. It was good, but I wanted something different and even scarier. So, I volunteered and guaranteed him that my version would be scary.
I thought putting red octopus in the black squid ink pasta would be fun and a bit scary. In my opinion, it actually look delicious and not scary at all. The octopus and pasta weren’t the scary part. It might scare some people. For me, the really spicy sauce was the scary part.
Jim likes spicy hot foods. Why not scare him with that? Well, I forgot that I haven’t eaten spicy things in a while. Putting a lot of spiciness in my own pasta wasn’t the best idea in the world. One bite and I was scared out of my mind.
Oh my goodness. It was really spicy. Jim was coughing with every bite, but kept going. I was drinking fluids like there was no tomorrow. I was full after two bites. I was scared to take another bite.
Sadly, I still wanted to eat more. The sauce tasted so good with the crispy vegetables and octopus, that I wanted to eat it all. Why did I have to make this thing so spicy? My body said I should stop eating. It’s too hot! But, my mouth kept on wanting more of the great squid ink pasta and the octopus.
I had to stop. Yeah, I can’t believe I did that to myself. I was scared to take another bite. It was too much for me.
| Spicy Squid Ink Pasta with Marinated Octopus |
- 8 oz Spaghetti di Nero Squid Ink pasta
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp Thai roasted red chili paste (more if you like it spicy, less if you don’t)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- ½ tsp sesame seed oil
- 1 orange bell pepper, top and bottom removed, seeded and sliced
- 1 red Jalapeno pepper, top removed, sliced thinly with seeds (seeds and amount are optional for extra heat)
- 10 Chuka Ioako Octopus (found at Japanese restaurants and some Asian grocery stores)
- 1 green onion, green part only, chopped
- ½ tsp sesame seeds
- In a large pot of boiling water, place squid ink pasta into pot and cook according to package instructions. Once done remove from pot, draining water, and place into a large bowl. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of grapeseed oil over pasta. Mix well to prevent pasta from sticking.
- In a large saute pan, place 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil and heat on high.
- Add red onions and cook for 1 minute.
- Add garlic and saute for 20 seconds.
- Add oyster sauce, red chili paste, salt and pepper, sugar, sesame seed oil. Mix well.
- Add bell pepper and jalapeno into pan. Mix well. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add pasta into pan and mix well.
- Plate pasta.
- Top each serving off with a few pieces of octopus. Octopus is precooked. Serve at room temperature.
- Sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds on top.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
I guess its karma and hurts sometimes. I have to be more mindful of who I am trying to scare.
I scared myself mindless.