Squid Ink Lorighittas with...Squid Ink Lorighittas with Sea Urchin and Bottarga

An exquisite Sardinian hand-braided pasta infused with squid ink, tossed in a luxurious sea urchin emulsion, and finished with shaved cured bottarga and aromatic lemon verbena oil.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the lemon verbena oil: Blanch the verbena leaves in boiling water for 5 seconds, shock in ice water, dry thoroughly, and blend with 100ml olive oil on high speed for 2 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter and set aside in a dropper bottle.

2. 02

   Make the pasta dough: Mound the semolina on a wooden board. Whisk the squid ink and salt into the warm water. Pour into a well in the center of the flour and gradually incorporate. Knead vigorously for 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic film and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. 03

   Shape the Lorighittas: Roll pieces of dough into incredibly thin strands (about 1.5mm thick). Wrap a strand twice around your index and middle fingers, break off the excess, and twist the double loop together to form a braided ring. Pinch the ends to seal. Repeat and lay on a semolina-dusted tray to dry slightly.

4. 04

   Build the sauce base: In a wide pan, sweat the micro-minced shallot in 15g of butter until translucent. Add the Vermentino wine and reduce by half. Pour in the fish fumet and simmer gently for 3 minutes, then remove from heat.

5. 05

   Emulsify the sauce: Transfer half of the sea urchin tongues and the remaining cold butter into the warm pan. Whisk vigorously off the heat until the sea urchin melts and emulsifies into a smooth, creamy, orange-hued sauce. Season with a touch of sea salt.

6. 06

   Cook the pasta: Drop the Lorighittas into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 3-4 minutes until al dente. Reserve 50ml of pasta water, then drain the pasta.

7. 07

   Finish the dish: Toss the cooked pasta directly into the sea urchin sauce over very low heat. Gently swirl for 1 minute to coat, adding a splash of pasta water if necessary to achieve a glossy glaze.

8. 08

   Plate and garnish: Nest the glazed Lorighittas in warm shallow bowls. Top with the remaining intact sea urchin tongues. Shave the bottarga generously over the pasta using a microplane. Dot with the vibrant green lemon verbena oil and garnish elegantly with micro-bronze fennel.