Smoked Potato Culurgiones with...Smoked Potato Culurgiones with Wild Mushroom Consommé

An elegant, Michelin-star interpretation of Sardinian culurgiones. Delicate handmade pasta pockets filled with oak-smoked potato, Pecorino Sardo, and mint, served in a crystal-clear wild mushroom consommé, finished with freshly shaved black winter truffle.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Make the pasta dough by combining Semolina and Tipo 00 flour with warm water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Knead until smooth and elastic (approx. 10 minutes), wrap in plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. 02

   Prepare the filling: Boil the cubed potatoes in salted water until tender. Pass through a potato ricer into a bowl. Fold in the grated Pecorino Sardo, finely chiffonaded mint, mashed garlic confit, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with sea salt, then transfer to a piping bag and let cool.

3. 03

   For the consommé: In a large pot, simmer the wild mushrooms, sliced shallots, and thyme sprigs in 1 liter of water for 45 minutes to extract all flavors. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and let the liquid cool slightly.

4. 04

   Clarify the consommé: Whisk the egg whites into the cooled mushroom broth. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat without stirring. As the egg whites rise to the surface to form a 'raft', they will trap all impurities. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then carefully ladle the crystal-clear liquid out, filtering it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

5. 05

   Roll the rested pasta dough through a pasta machine to setting 7 (about 1mm thick). Cut out rounds using an 8cm circular cutter. Pipe a chestnut-sized mound of the potato filling in the center of each round.

6. 06

   Fold the culurgiones using the traditional Sardinian 'spiga' (wheat-ear) technique: pinch the bottom edge of the circle, then fold alternating left and right sides inward, overlapping them slightly to create a pleated seam that seals the filling completely.

7. 07

   Cook the culurgiones in a large pot of gently boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes until they float and the pasta is al dente. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon.

8. 08

   To serve, place three warm culurgiones elegantly in the center of a shallow heated shallow bowl. Table-side, pour the hot, crystal-clear mushroom consommé around the pasta. Garnish with freshly shaved black truffle and micro-mint leaves.