Pasta nera with calamari & tomatoes
Recipe from the book by Ilse Fischer, Pasta al Pomodoro
Walter Grüll & kitchen team
Fish magician & caviar guru, Grödig, Salzburg region
Passion and pleasure come together in a small town in the Salzburg region. This place is Walter Grüll and his family’s fish shop with caviar production and bistro. People come here to understand caviar and to love Walter and his creativity. And, of course, to taste it. For example, the unique caviar. Sturgeon, water, salt—that’s all it takes for the pure taste of caviar, which is causing a sensation in the gourmet world. Lunchtime at the fish universe is the time to enjoy imaginative, fresh, and delicious food. Passion and creativity are the driving force behind the enthusiasm that Walter and his family share with everyone who appreciates something special.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 kg tomatoes (Black Plum, Ananas Noir, if possible, or San Marzano as a substitute)
- 20 fresh calamari
- Olive oil (optionally some oil from pickled tomatoes)
- 3 stalks of celery
- 1 red onion
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 organic lemon
- Salt
- 400 g freshly ground black pepper
- Linguine Nero di Sepia (available from good specialist retailers)
- 2 × 4 g cuttlefish ink
PREPARATION
- Puree 1 kg of the tomatoes, washed and chopped, with a hand blender and leave to drain overnight in a bowl through a straining cloth.
- Clean and wash the calamari, then cut the squid tubes lengthwise into strips.
- Vacuum seal the strips and tentacles separately with a little olive oil.
- Quarter and deseed the remaining tomatoes. Dice the celery, red onion, and tomatoes, and finely chop the parsley and garlic.
- Mix everything together and season to taste with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper.
- Mix the tomato water with the cuttlefish ink and a little olive oil (if you have some preserved dried tomatoes to hand, this oil would be particularly suitable) and a little lemon juice.
- Cook the squid sous vide at 55°C for 10 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water until very al dente, almost too hard to eat.
- Return the drained pasta to the pot and pour the tomato and cuttlefish liquid over it.
- Keep the pasta warm and let it sit for a few minutes. Stir frequently.
- Mix the cuttlefish strips from the vacuum bag with the liquid into the pasta.
- Serve the pasta with the remaining liquid.
- Place the marinated vegetables on top of the pasta and top with the tentacles, which have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
If you don’t have a sous-vide stick, the calamari can be grilled or sautéed. This also applies if you want to add roasted flavors after sous-vide cooking.