Squid Ink Tagliolini with...Squid Ink Tagliolini with Sea Urchin and Bergamot

An elegant coastal Italian masterpiece pairing handmade squid ink pasta with the briny sweetness of fresh sea urchin, brightened with Calabrian bergamot and a texturally contrastive pangrattato.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the pangrattato, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sourdough breadcrumbs, Colatura di Alici, and a pinch of peperoncino. Stir constantly until the breadcrumbs are deeply golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and set aside.

2. 02

   Prepare the sea urchin emulsion by gently blending 40g (half) of the sea urchin tongues with the softened room-temperature butter and 1 teaspoon of fresh bergamot juice until completely smooth. Keep cool until needed.

3. 03

   Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the fresh squid ink tagliolini for approximately 2 minutes (just under al dente). Reserve 1 cup (240ml) of the pasta cooking water before draining.

4. 04

   While the pasta cooks, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook slowly until fragrant and translucent, ensuring it does not take on any color.

5. 05

   Pour the white wine into the skillet with the garlic, increase the heat to medium, and reduce the liquid by half. Lower the heat and swirl in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water.

6. 06

   Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet. Toss vigorously for 1 minute over medium heat to emulsify the starch with the oil and wine. Remove the pan completely from the heat source.

7. 07

   Vigorously stir in the prepared sea urchin butter off the heat, allowing it to melt into a glossy, creamy orange glaze coating each strand of pasta. If too thick, splash in a little more pasta water.

8. 08

   To plate, twirl the pasta into tight nests in warm shallow bowls. Garnish with the remaining whole sea urchin tongues, a dusting of fresh bergamot zest, snipped chives, and a generous sprinkle of the crispy pangrattato. Serve immediately.