Spaghetti alla Chitarra con...Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Ricci di Mare e Bottarga

Hand-crafted egg pasta tossed in a luxurious, creamy sea urchin emulsion, finished with grated Sardinian bottarga, fresh finger lime, and bronze fennel.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Sift the 00 flour onto a clean marble work surface, create a deep well in the center, and add the egg yolks and whole egg.

2. 02

   Slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs using a fork, then knead vigorously by hand for 10 minutes until a smooth, elastic, and satin-like dough forms. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. 03

   Roll the rested pasta dough using a pasta machine down to a medium-thin sheet (about 1.5mm), then pass it through a traditional Abruzzese chitarra cutter (or spaghetti cutter attachment) to create square-shaped spaghetti. Dust with semolina and set aside in loose nests.

4. 04

   In a high-speed blender, emulsify 80g of the fresh sea urchin with 30ml of the premium extra virgin olive oil and a splash of cold water until completely smooth, aerated, and creamy. Reserve the remaining whole sea urchin lobes in the refrigerator for plating.

5. 05

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it until it tastes like mild seawater. In a large, cold sauté pan, combine the remaining olive oil and the bruised garlic. Turn the heat to low, infusing the oil gently for 3 minutes, then discard the garlic. Pour in the Vermentino wine and simmer until the alcohol aroma dissipates and the liquid is reduced by half.

6. 06

   Drop the fresh spaghetti into the boiling water and cook for exactly 2 minutes until perfectly al dente. Reserve 100ml of the starchy pasta water, then transfer the pasta directly into the sauté pan with the infused oil.

7. 07

   Remove the sauté pan entirely from the heat source. Pour in the blended sea urchin emulsion and a small splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously off the heat for 45 seconds to create a glossy, velvety coating, ensuring the residual heat does not scramble the delicate sea urchin.

8. 08

   Twirl the pasta into tight, elegant nests using a carving fork and place into four warm, shallow bowls. Top each nest with the reserved whole sea urchin lobes, finely grated bottarga, vibrant finger lime pearls, and delicate sprigs of bronze fennel. Serve immediately.