‘Sea Deepness’ from Chef Karime López

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 280g Ditalini pasta by Gerardo Di Nola
• 200g cod skin
• 1,5 kg squid
• 2 pcs yellow onions
• 125g butter
• 25g shallot
• 55g white wine vinegar
• 125ml white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 65g salted capers
• 125g sugar
• 2tbsp Villa Manodori Lemon Oil
• 1 pcs carrot
• 1 pcs courgette
• 6 pcs large radishes
• 1 pcs large potato
• 1 pcs mullet bottarga
• 1 pcs lime
• fine salt

Method

For the Cod Broth

1. Wash the skins thoroughly under running water in order to remove the salt and impurities.
2. Put them in a pot with 1.5 liters of cold water, bring to a gentle boil and then leave to cook over low heat for 6-8 hours, removing the foam every now and then.
3. Reduce until it has reached the consistency of a slightly gelatinous and tasty fish broth. Then filter and let it cool.

For the Squid Broth

1. Remove the skin and entrails, rinse the squid well to remove sand or residues, once drained put them in a baking tray with baking paper together with the onions cut in half.
2. Brown everything in the oven for about 2 hours at 180°C or until golden, then put into a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a light boil.
3. Cook over low heat for at least 6 hours, removing the foam every now and then. Filter and reduce until you have the consistency and a taste of brown sea bed. Cool and store.

For the Caper butter

1. Put the capers to desalt in running water, once ready blanch them in syrup (125g sugar-125g water) for 5 minutes, drain and dry in the oven at 60°C for 12 hours. Blend until they become powder and store in a dry place.
2. Leave the butter at room temperature, then, in a saucepan, put the coarsely chopped shallot, the wine, the vinegar and the bay leaf, and cook over low heat until ¾ parts get reduced, then filter and let it cool.
3. Whip the butter in a mixer or by hand with a whisk and gradually pour in the reduction and the caper powder until you have a uniform texture. Keep in the fridge.

For the Vegetable Spheres 

1. With a Parisienne scoop, cut the balls from the vegetables – skinless carrots, radishes, peeled potatoes and courgettes. There must be 20 pieces of each vegetable.
2. Cook the carrots and potatoes in boiling salted water for 2 and 4 minutes respectively.
3. Cook and cool in water and ice, drain and preserve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
4. The radishes don’t have to be cooked (they should only be slightly warmed with steam when plating). Store in cold water.

For the Final Steps

1. Boil the pasta in water and salt for 6 minutes, then finish cooking in the pan for 3-4 minutes, gradually adding the squid, the cod broth and the lemon oil. Once al dente, remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of caper butter.
2. 1 minute before serving, put 5 spheres of each vegetable per person in the steam oven with a drizzle of oil.

Plating

1. Put the pasta in the centre of the plate with its cream, arrange the vegetables on top to enhance the colours.
2. Finish the plate with grated bottarga and lime.

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Recipe courtesy of Karime Lopez, Head Chef of Michelin-starred Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence.