Fusilli with Octopus and Bone Marrow

This dish is an unexpected blend of traditional Italian and contemporary Cantonese cuisine from YAO NYC Executive Chef and Co-owner Kenny Leung.  

At YAO NYC, chef Leung cooks modern Cantonese cuisine in a beautiful, contemporary space – which seems about as far from traditional Italian cooking as it can possibly get. But as a chef who is always looking to evolve, Leung is constantly open to inspiration from other cultures and traditions – and this dish is a great representative of that, inspired by a recent trip to Florence, Italy.

During his visit, he dined at a local trattoria and was impressed by a simple yet delicious pasta dish. The combination of fresh tomato sauce, creamy cheese, and perfectly cooked noodles left a lasting impression on him. Despite cheese not being a typical ingredient in Cantonese cuisine, Leung decided to incorporate it into his version of the dish, which paired well with his addition of octopus and bone marrow, ingredients that are more familiar in Cantonese cuisine.

Visit the Honest Cooking Cookbook Shop

How to Make Fusilli with Octopus and Bone Marrow

Cooking the Octopus

Start by simmering the octopus in a pot of hot water for 1-2 hours.  Once cooked and cooled, cut into slices and set aside. 

Cooking the Bone Marrow

For the bone marrow, start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Then place your a 3 oz piece of beef bone that split lengthwise in a baking sheet. Place the cut side up. Bake for at least 15 minutes or until tender. Scoop out the bone marrow, place in a bowl and set aside. 

Boiling the Fusilli

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the boiling water. Add the Fusilli pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta for approximately 8-10 minutes or according to the package instructions until it is al dente. Once cooked, drain the Fusilli pasta in a colander.

Seasoning and Combining the Octopus and Bone Marrow

In a pot over low heat add olive oil, minced garlic, and octopus to the pan in a second pot and stir for one minute. Then add chicken broth, oyster sauce, salted fish, soy sauce, and minced cilantro; stir everything for two minutes. Add the cooked bone marrow. Add the fully cooked fusilli (or noodles of your choice). 

Making the Fusilli with Octopus and Bone Marrow 

Add the fully cooked fusilli (or noodles of your choice). Stir and mix until the soup and ingredients are absorbed with the Fusilli (or noodles) Then plate and garnish with a bit of cheese . 

Fusilli with Wild Octopus and Bone Marrow

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Executive Chef and Co-owner of YAO, Kenny Leung
• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 2-3 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

This dish is an unexpected blend of traditional Italian and contemporary Cantonese cuisine from YAO NYC Executive Chef and Co-owner Kenny Leung.  

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz of Fusilli (or a noodle of your choice)
• 3 oz octopus
• 1 oz bone marrow ( 3 oz of beef bone)
• garlic, small amount, 1 piece
• 2 oz olive oil
• 4 oz chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 oz cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salted fish
• A small amount of cheese

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

For the Octopus: 

1. Fill a large pot with water and place the octopus; bring the water to a simmer. Simmer at 190-200 F
2.  Cook for about 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the octopus. 
3. Test for doneness by piercing with a knife where the head of the octopus meets the legs; if the knife slides easily, the octopus is finished cooking.
4. Once tender, remove from pot. 
5. Cut the prepared, cooked octopus into slices. 

For the Bone Marrow:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees 
2. Place bones, cut side up, on a baking sheet
3. Cook until the marrow is tender and has begun to separate from the bone; this should take approximately 15 minutes 

For the Fusilli

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Add salt to the boiling water.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water.
• Cook the pasta for approximately 8-10 minutes or according to the package instructions until it is al dente.
• Once cooked, drain the Fusilli pasta in a colander.

Fusilli with Wild Octopus and Bone Marrow

1. Add 2 oz olive oil, minced garlic, and octopus to the pan in a second pot and stir for 1 minute. 
2. Then add 4 oz chicken broth, one teaspoon of oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon of salted fish, ½ teaspoon of soy sauce, and 1 oz of minced cilantro; stir the ingredients for two minutes. 
3. Add the cooked bone marrow to Pot 2
4. Add the fully cooked fusilli (or noodles of your choice) from Pot 1 with the ingredients from Pot 2. 
5. Stir and mix until the soup and ingredients are absorbed with the Fusilli (or noodles)
6. Then plate 
7. Add a small amount of cheese when plated, if preferred. 

Notes

Since prepping the bone marrow is an additional step and not an ingredient many love, the chef suggests you can substitute butter. Also you can use fish sauce instead of salted fish. 

• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 120 mins
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: Cantonese