Black and grey rice
Osteria Francescana
Chef: Massimo Bottura
Country: Italia
City: 41100 Módena
Address: Via Stella, 22
(+39) 059220286mb-francescana@libero.it
Massimo Bottura is a poet whose cup runneth over with culinary idealism. Enthusiastic, exultant, rapturous… his state of mind comes through in his work, irradiating artistic dedication. Such confidence, insistence and even daring have propelled him, in only a few short years, to one of the icons of creative cuisine in all of Italy.
This black and grey rice, which is one of the less spectacular dishes on the menu, curiously enough, expresses erudition and intelligence–a truly doctoral dish. The sumptuous delicacy is tangible. The rice is soaked in oceanic flavors, with an intense flavor of oysters and, as if that weren’t enough, an inarguable addition:a spoonful of caviar.The staging, nothing short of a painter, eminently talented, makes one want to shut off the lights, close one’s eyes and taste with the soul.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 280 g Acquerello rice
- 100 g Belon oyster meat
- 100 g Fine de Claire oyster meat
- (strain the oyster water and set aside)
- 1 shallot
- 1/2 cup Anna Maria Clementi white wine
- Strained fish stock (prepared with turbot, hake, celery, carrot, onion and lemon verbena)
- 1 tablespoon Isigny butter
- 20 g Beluga caviar
Method
For the squid ink cream
- One ink bag from a squid
- 30 g tomato confit
- 2 shallots
- Fish stock
- 1 splash of Anna Maria Clementi white wine
- Evo olive oil
Place the chopped shallot and olive oil in a pan and gently fry. Add the white wine, tomato confit and squid ink. Cover with the stock and leave to reduce. Blend and strain.
Sauté the rice in a saucepan with a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil that was used to brown a coarsely chopped shallot. Remove the shallot and add the Anna Maria Clementi white wine. Follow by gradually adding the fish stock. Meanwhile, blend the oyster meat in a Turmix and pass through a sieve. Strain and mix with the oyster water; finish cooking the rice with this liquid until it is al dente. Remove from heat and stir in the oyster meat and the tablespoon of butter. Spoon out three quarters of this creamy rice onto a plate. Mix the remaining rice with a tablespoon of the squid ink cream and finish by shaping it into a perfect circle at the center of the dish. Just before serving, add the Beluga caviar around the circumference of the rice with ink.