THE RECIPE: FORGET THE ESPRESSO, FORGET THE MILK

A savory cappuccino:
cuttlefish and potato puree

by Massimiliano Alajmo

This dish was initially served in a flat bowl
but it came into its own through transparency.
A vertical black and white presentation
emphasized by perimetrical memories
of the cuttlefish. A game directed at
re-evaluating the dignity of humble ingredients.
This cappuccino is represented by a basic-sapid
taste that can be compared to a tiramisù:
the potato plays the role of the mascarpone,
and the cuttlefish with its ink that of coffee.
Simple and enveloping, it stimulates
the salivary glands in a satisfying,
almost infantile sensory experience.

Ingredients for 4

for the cuttlefish in the black
300 gr. cleaned cuttlefish, cut
into small cubes
150 gr. vegetable gelatin broth
30 gr. white wine
20 gr. white onion, minced
20 gr. extra virgin olive oil
¼ garlic clove
½ bay leaf
pinch of salt
cuttlefish ink (removed from sack
while cleaning cuttlefish)
Sweat onion and garlic in extra virgin, add cuttlefish, brown slightly and add white wine a little at a time. Evaporate liquid, then add cuttlefish ink and the vegetable gelatin broth gradually. Cover and cook slowly until cuttlefish is tender
for the cuttlefish in the black.

for the potato cream
450 gr. white potato, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
100 gr. fresh heavy cream
95 gr. whole milk
60 gr. boiling vegetable gelatin broth
20 gr. extra virgin olive oil
6 gr. salt
3 gr. castor sugar
3 gr. chives, minced
1.5 gr. soy sauce
Boil potatoes in a large pot of unsalted water. Blend in Thermomix at 60°C adding milk, heavy cream, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Drizzle in extra virgin and emulsify with boiling broth. Pour cream in a hot terrine, add chives and mix delicately for the potato cream.

Preparation
1 tsp. chives, minced
A few drops of extra virgin olive oil
Place a tablespoon of cuttlefish in the black in a transparent glass and cover with potato cream. Garnish with a few drops of cooking juice and extra virgin; sprinkle
with a pinch of chive preparation.

Hints
Based on potato type, the quantities of other ingredients may vary (for
example, potatoes with more starch may need additional liquid).

Variations
Serve hot potato cream with a white seafood stew of red with a white seafood stew of red mullet, spider crab, various kinds of shrimp, manila clams, mussels and their cooking juices sprinkled with nigella seed-infused olive oil, roughly
chopped parsley and hot chili pepper powder.