'Black is back' – mussel tortelli with sea urchin emulsion

Not yet rated

This unique mussel tortelli recipe from Eugenio Boer is served in a saffron-tinted potato cream and topped with sea urchin emulsion. The handmade pasta for the tortelli is coloured with cuttlefish ink for a striking appearance and flavour of the sea.

First published in 2017

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Mussel tortelli filling

  • 1kg mussels, cleaned
  • 150ml of white wine
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 parsley stalk, finely chopped
  • 25g of shallots, julienned
  • 35g of bread
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Potato cream

  • 200g of potatoes, peeled
  • 65g of leek, white part only, finely sliced
  • vegetable stock
  • 12ml of lemon juice
  • 1 tsp saffron threads
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Cuttlefish ink pasta dough

Parsley emulsion

  • 200g of parsley
  • 1g of xanthan gum
  • 15ml of olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Sea urchin emulsion

  • 10 sea urchins
  • olive oil

Equipment

  • Piping bag and nozzle
  • Food processor
  • Centrifugal juicer
  • Squeezy bottle
  • Blender
  • Food mixer fitted with a dough hook
  • Pasta machine

Method

1
To begin, make the mussel filling. Warm the oil, wine, garlic, chilli and parsley in a large pan with a lid. Once sizzling and steamy, add the mussels and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the shells have all opened
  • 1kg mussels, cleaned
  • 150ml of white wine
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 parsley stalk, finely chopped
  • extra virgin olive oil
2
Pick the flesh from the shells and return to the pan, discarding any mussels that have failed to open
3
Sauté the shallots in extra virgin olive oil in a separate pan until soft and translucent. Add the shallots to the mussels and their cooking juices and cook over a high heat until reduced by half
  • 25g of shallots, julienned
  • extra virgin olive oil
4
Toast the bread in a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil. Cut it into chunks and add to the mussels
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 35g of bread
5
Continue to cook for a couple of minutes then blend in a food processor until creamy and season with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool then transfer to a piping bag and chill until needed
  • pepper
  • salt
6
To make the potato cream, finely slice the potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water. Sauté the leek in olive oil until soft then dry the potatoes and add to the pan with enough vegetable stock to cover. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 30–40 minutes
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 200g of potatoes, peeled
  • 65g of leek, white part only, finely sliced
  • vegetable stock
7
To make the pasta, knead the flours, eggs, extra yolks and cuttlefish ink in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook (or by hand if you don't have one). It should come together into a smooth, silky dough. If it is sticky, add a little more flour. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
8
When the potatoes are entirely soft, add the lemon juice and saffron. Drain the vegetables and blend in a food processor, adding enough of the cooking liquid to give a smooth consistency. Set aside
9
Pick the parsley. Blanch and refresh the leaves then place in a colander with a weight on top to drain. Use a centrifugal juicer to juice the stalks
  • 200g of parsley
10
Blend 10ml of the juice in a food processor with the leaves, olive oil, 10ml water, salt, pepper and xanthan gum. Decant into a squeezy bottle
  • pepper
  • 1g of xanthan gum
  • 15ml of olive oil
  • salt
11
Clean the sea urchins and scoop out the flesh. Emulsify in a blender with a drop of olive oil and a little cold water
  • olive oil
  • 10 sea urchins
12
When it is time to make the tortelli, use a pasta machine to roll out the dough very thinly and cut it into 6cm squares
13
Place a teaspoon of the mussel filling into the centre of each square then fold diagonally into a triangle, pressing the edges together to seal. Wrap each triangle in turn around your index finger, pinching the points together
14
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the tortelli for 1–2 minutes. Drain then gently fry with some olive oil and a little vegetable stock, stirred together to make an emulsion. Meanwhile, warm through the potato cream
15
To plate up, pour the potato cream into shallow bowls and place a ring of the tortelli on top, alternating with dots of parsley emulsion. Top each tortelli with some sea urchin emulsion and serve
First published in 2017

Eugenio Boer mixes tradition with innovation at his Michelin-starred Milan restaurant Essenza. His curiosity and creativity know no bounds but seasonality remains at the heart of his food.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.

You may also like

Load more