'Iris' – Rainbow pasta with Italian fish stew

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Sure to make an impression, Viviana Varese's vibrant, rainbow pasta recipe takes tricolore pasta to a whole new level. Colouring the pasta with everything from beetroot to rocket, these natural flavours add vivid colour to a basic fresh pasta dough. The pasta discs are layered up with a thick, blended Italian fish stew (Viviana's take on a traditional cacciucco recipe), lightly steamed fish pieces, sautéed broccoli rabe and a final flourish of shellfish mousse.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Green rocket pasta

  • 50g of rocket
  • 100g of 00 flour

Pink beetroot pasta

Brown chocolate pasta

  • 6g of cocoa powder
  • 4g of liquorice powder
  • 100g of 00 flour
  • 10g of water
  • 35g of egg white

Red tomato pasta

Yellow saffron pasta

  • 1g of saffron
  • 5g of water
  • 45g of egg yolk
  • 100g of 00 flour

White egg pasta

Italian fish stew

  • 150g of cod
  • 100g of gurnard
  • 100g of rock fish, or red fish
  • 100g of fish bones
  • 60g of extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 40g of white wine
  • 30g of tomato paste
  • 50g of plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1.5l water
  • 20g of rice

Shellfish mousse

  • 100ml of shellfish stock
  • 25g of dried albumen

Steamed fish

  • 100g of prawns, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 100g of monkfish, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 100g of rock fish, or red fish, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 100g of cod, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 120g of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch of salt

To serve

  • 100g of broccoli rabe
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 dash of extra virgin olive oil

Equipment

  • Hand blender
  • Pasta machine
  • 8cm cutter
  • 10cm pastry cutter
  • Small siphon gun
  • 2 siphon cartridges
  • Water bath
  • Vacuum bags
  • Chamber sealer

Method

1
To make the fish stew, begin by making a stock. Add the oil to a large pan set over a medium heat. Sauté the garlic for a few minutes to infuse then add the fish bones. Turn the heat up high and cook for a few minutes before deglazing the pan with the wine
  • 60g of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 100g of fish bones
  • 40g of white wine
2
Stir in the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, cook for a few minutes then cover with the water. Leave to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
3
While simmering, make each individual coloured pasta. Start with the rocket – bring a small pan of water to the boil and blanch the rocket for 2 minutes. Refresh in a bowl of iced water and blitz with a hand blender to create a smooth purée
  • 50g of rocket
4
Combine the purée with the flour, mixing together then kneading to form a smooth ball of dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge until required
  • 100g of 00 flour
5
For the beetroot pasta, mix the beetroot juice into the flour and knead to form a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and reserve in the fridge
6
For the chocolate pasta, mix the cocoa and liquorice powders into the flour until evenly dispersed. Add in the water and egg white and knead to form a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and reserve in the fridge
  • 6g of cocoa powder
  • 4g of liquorice powder
  • 100g of 00 flour
  • 10g of water
  • 35g of egg white
7
Knead the tomato paste into the flour for the red pasta. When smooth, wrap in cling film and reserve in the fridge
8
For the saffron pasta, soak the saffron threads in the water for a few minutes to allow the colour to come out. Strain the yellow water through a fine sieve to remove the threads then mix with the flour and egg yolk to create a dough. Knead until smooth, wrap in cling film then reserve in the fridge
  • 1g of saffron
  • 5g of water
  • 45g of egg yolk
  • 100g of 00 flour
9
Lastly for the white pasta, combine the egg white with the flour, kneading until smooth. Wrap in cling film and reserve in the fridge with the other doughs
10
When the stock is ready, pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan and place back on the heat. Heat a large frying pan with a little oil and add the fish fillets, frying for a few minutes on each side until cooked through
  • 150g of cod
  • 100g of gurnard
  • 100g of rock fish, or red fish
11
Add the cooked fish to the pan with the stock and simmer for another 20 minutes. During the last 5 minutes place the rice in a clean frying pan and toast over a gentle heat for a few minutes. Add to the fish and stock and continue to cook, stirring regularly until the rice is cooked through (about 20 minutes)
12
While cooking, make the shellfish mousse. Combine the stock and albumen in a jug then pour into a siphon gun set with 2 gas charges. Reserve until ready to serve
  • 100ml of shellfish stock
  • 25g of dried albumen
13
Blend the contents of the stock pan together with a hand blender to create a thick, smooth cream. Keep warm until ready to serve
14
Remove the chilled pasta doughs from the fridge. Roughly flatten each dough and cut into 1cm cubes. Mix together the different coloured cubes to form an irregular pattern, bringing together gently by hand
15
Roll the multi-coloured dough through a pasta machine, decreasing the thickness setting each time to create a large, thin sheet. Cut out 4 discs of 8cm diameter and 4 discs of 10cm diameter from the sheet. Place on a flat tray between pieces of greaseproof paper and reserve in the fridge
16
Preheat a water bath to 58°C
17
Place the chopped prawns and fish in a vacuum bag with the oil and pinch of salt. Seal then cook in the water bath for 4 minutes
  • 100g of prawns, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 100g of monkfish, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 100g of rock fish, or red fish, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 100g of cod, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 120g of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pinch of salt
18
Place a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the broccoli with a little oil and garlic. Remove the garlic before serving
  • 100g of broccoli rabe
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 dash of extra virgin olive oil
19
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta discs for a few minutes, or until tender, then drain and brush over a little extra oil to stop them sticking
20
To serve, place a 10cm pasta disc on each serving plate and top with a ladle of the blended fish stew, spreading it out across the pasta. Remove the steamed fish from the vacuum bag and divide between the plates. Top with the broccoli
21
Siphon over the shellfish mousse to cover then top everything with a final 8cm disc of pasta. Serve immediately

Becoming one of the most famous chefs in Milan (and, after starring in her own television show, all of Italy) isn't easy, but Viviana Varese remains at the top of her game by sourcing the very best produce available.

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