Trofie con crema di bimi, pancetta croccante e scaglie di Parmigiano
Trofie with bimi (broccolini) cream, crispy pancetta and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings
The pancetta and the coarse rock salt were kindly provided by Peccati di Gola: pancetta (Lucana Salumi) · Italkali Sale di Sicilia, coarse rock salt
Introduction
A simple green pasta dish built around the natural flavor of bimi. The golden pan-fried pancetta gives the dish strength, and the Parmigiano Reggiano brings umami, depth and balance.
Bimi is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale, sold in the United States as broccolini. Trofie are short, twisted pasta from Liguria.
Ingredients
Serves 1 · No garlic · No pepper
- 80 g dried trofie (about 3 oz)
- 100 g bimi (broccolini) (about 3.5 oz)
- 80–100 ml warm herb or vegetable stock, as needed (about ⅓ cup)
- 50 g pancetta, cut into strips (about 1¾ oz)
- 2 g extra virgin olive oil (about ½ tsp)
- 20–30 ml oat cooking cream (about 1½–2 tbsp)
- 15 g Parmigiano Reggiano (about 3 tbsp grated, or shavings)
- Sicilian rock salt, to taste, only if needed
- A little pasta cooking water
Method
1. Prepare the bimi
Clean the bimi and separate it into stems and small florets.
Blanch the bimi briefly in lightly salted boiling water. Then cool it immediately in ice water: this stops the cooking and keeps its fresh green color.
Drain carefully.
2. Make the bimi cream
Set aside a few nice small bimi florets.
Blend the rest of the bimi with part of the warm stock. Add the stock gradually until you have a smooth, green cream that is thick enough.
The sauce must cling well to the trofie, so it should not become too runny.
3. Fry the pancetta
Heat 2 g (about ½ tsp) of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. This small amount of oil stops the pancetta from sticking to the pan at the start.
Add the pancetta and fry it gently over medium-high heat. Then let it keep cooking in its own released fat until it is golden brown and lightly crisp.
4. Add the bimi florets
Add the bimi florets you set aside to the pancetta. Fry them briefly so they take on the flavor of the pancetta while keeping their green color and texture.
5. Cook the trofie
Cook the trofie in plenty of lightly salted water until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite).
Before draining, save a small amount of the cooking water.
6. Coat the pasta with the bimi cream
Gently warm the bimi cream in a large pan. Add the drained trofie and mix carefully, so every piece of pasta is fully coated with the green cream.
7. Add the oat cream
Add 20–30 ml (about 1½–2 tbsp) of oat cooking cream. Do not use more than needed: too much oat cream can weaken the natural flavor of the bimi.
If needed, add a little pasta cooking water to make the sauce smoother and creamier.
8. Finish the dish
Add the fried pancetta and the bimi florets. Mix everything together gently.
Taste before adding extra salt: the pancetta, the stock and the Parmigiano Reggiano are already salty.
Presentation
Arrange the trofie in the center of a matte black plate, giving the pasta a little height as you plate it.
Finish with thin shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. The contrast between the green bimi cream, the golden pancetta, the ivory-white Parmigiano shavings and the black plate gives a simple, modern presentation.
Author’s note
In this first version, no garlic and no pepper were used on purpose. The flavor comes from the bimi, the crispy pancetta and the Parmigiano Reggiano.
For a future variation, the olive oil can be gently flavored with a small amount of garlic. Remove the garlic before adding the pancetta, so its flavor stays subtle and does not overpower the bimi.
Freshly ground black pepper, pink peppercorns or a lightly crushed colorful pepper mix can be added at the table, according to personal taste.
Allergens
Contains gluten (wheat pasta) and milk (Parmigiano Reggiano).
Also check the ingredients of the stock and the oat cream for possible allergens and traces. Oat cream may contain gluten unless labeled gluten-free.
Reacties