Here I am in Greece, having a wonderful time with family and friends…enjoying meals together in the city, in the mountains or by the sea. I created this dish while still in Canada, anticipating my vacation in Greece. You could say I was inspired, anxious…a little impatient.

One of the best ways to transport yourself to far far places is to create a dish that is inspired by seasonal of a particular place. I was craving a seafood dish, I had leftover pickled octopus (you could used grilled octopus) and created an easy, almost no-cook pasta dish that bursts with flavour and…looks pretty damn good on a plate.

For extra flavour I smeared some leftover Santorini fava (split pea puree) on the bottom of my plate and topped the dish with a little decadence by way of Acadian sturgeon caviar. This dish is pretty, it’s easy to prepare, tastes like Greece on a plate and I used what was in season, including some purslane I found growing in my garden.

This pasta dish is a departure from the usual Greek octopus pasta which is tomato-sauce based. It has a lighter, citrus flavour with some punch from capers, lemons and balanced with savory scallions and garlic. I used earthy lemon thyme as my herb of choice and now all of a sudden, I’m craving this octopus pasta dish once again!

Summer Octopus With Linguine

(serves 4)

500 gr. dry linguine

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 scallions, thinly sliced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 red chilli, chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup roughly chopped capers

zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup fresh purslane leaves

2 Tbsp. of fresh lemon-thyme leaves

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 cups of chopped cooked octopus (grilled or pickled)

salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes

extra-virgin olive oil

Santorini Fava puree

Acadian sturgeon caviar

1. Place a large pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and then add the pasta and cook for about 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place a large skillet on your stovetop over medium heat and add your scallions, garlic and chilli pepper and sweat for about 5 minutes. Now add wine, capers and reduce for 3 minutes then take off the heat.
3. Once your pasta is cooked, add the octopus, purslane, parsley thyme, lemon zest and lemon juice and toss. Taste and adjust flavouring, add some more olive oil if needed and reserve.
4. To plate, place about 2-3 spoonfuls of Santorini fava on the plate and spread it cover the bottom of your plates. Now divide and plate the pasta, garnish with a dollop of Acadian sturgeon caviar and plate.
5. Serve with a Gaia Thallasitis Assyrtiko white.