Squid Ink Tagliolini with...Squid Ink Tagliolini with Sea Urchin and Amalfi Lemon

An elegant coastal Italian masterpiece featuring hand-cut squid ink pasta tossed in a luxurious, briny sea urchin butter sauce, finished with crisp herb-infused brioche crumbs and fresh Amalfi lemon zest.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Mound the Tipo 00 flour on a wooden work surface and create a wide well in the center. Whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, and squid ink together, then pour the mixture into the well.

2. 02

   Using a fork, gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid starting from the inner walls. Once a shaggy dough forms, knead by hand for 10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and uniform in color. Wrap tightly in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. 03

   Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and progressively narrowing until you reach the second thinnest setting. Dust with semolina, fold, and cut into thin tagliolini strands. Dust nests with semolina and cover with a damp cloth.

4. 04

   To make the pangrattato, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat with the smashed garlic and thyme sprig. Add the brioche crumbs and toast, stirring constantly, until golden brown and crispy. Discard garlic and thyme, season with a pinch of fleur de sel, and set aside.

5. 05

   Set aside 8 of the most pristine sea urchin tongues for final plating. Gently purée the remaining sea urchin with 40g of softened cultured butter in a small food processor until completely smooth and emulsified. Keep cold.

6. 06

   In a wide, deep skillet over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 40g of butter. Add the minced shallot and cook until translucent and soft, without coloring. Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half.

7. 07

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the tagliolini for 90 seconds until al dente. Reserve 120ml of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

8. 08

   Add the drained pasta and half of the reserved pasta water to the skillet with the shallot reduction. Remove from the heat, add the sea urchin butter and a squeeze of lemon juice, and toss vigorously to emulsify into a creamy, glossy sauce. Add more pasta water if necessary to adjust consistency.

9. 09

   Twirl the tagliolini into elegant nests in warm shallow bowls. Top each with two reserved sea urchin tongues, a dusting of crispy brioche crumbs, finely chopped chives, and freshly grated Amalfi lemon zest. Serve immediately.