Red Prawns with Pistacchio and Blood Orange
“Mamma Rita was really good. She was so good that she earned her first Michelin star at the “Le Calandre” restaurant in Rubano, near Padua in 1993. But then her son Massimiliano, who, after graduating from the hospitality school in Abano Terme and having already had his beautiful experience in French cuisine, upon returning to Italy in 1993, dedicated himself to the home restaurant with his brother Raffaele, who was destined to become a great restaurant manager. As a result, in 1996, the second Michelin star arrived. I remember the emotion of the whole family when “Porta a porta” announced the arrival of the third star in 2002.
The Alajmo brothers are a perfect couple and they have proved it by restoring great style and great cuisine to the Quadri restaurant in Piazza San Marco in Venice. One of the most famous locales in the world finally brought back to the glories of its past.”
Bruno Vespa
The recipe
Ingredients for 4 people
Blood orange sorbet
Ingredients
50 g of blood orange juice
2 sprays of ginger essence
2 sprays of mandarin essence
40 percent density sugar syrup to taste
Preparation
Perfume the orange juice with the essences. Add the sugar syrup until it reaches a 16 ° Brix. Freeze the juice, preferably with nitrogen, to obtain a soft sorbet or alternatively, freeze at -20 ° C in a Pacojet® beaker, and pacotize.
Red Prawns
Ingredients
16 red prawn tails, unpeeled
15 g of delicate extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of salt
1 spray of damask rose essence
Preparation
Boil the red prawns and peel them. Season them with oil, salt and rose essence.
Pistachio base
Ingredients
250 g of grated pistachios
200 g of still mineral water
Preparation
Cover the pistachios with water, pour them into a Pacojet® beaker, freeze at -20 ° C and pacotize till creamy.
Pistachio cream
Ingredients
100 g of pistachio base
10 g of natural mineral water
1 pinch of salt
1 g of lemon juice
1 spray of ginger essence
1 spray of mandarin essence
1 trace of dried chili
10 g of delicate extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Emulsify the pistachio base with all the ingredients, adding the oil slowly at the end until a shiny and creamy sauce is obtained.
Radicchio and fennel salad
Ingredients
80 g of Treviso radicchio (preferably late harvest)
60 g of finely sliced fennel
15 g of delicate extra virgin olive oil
1 spray of damask rose essence
Preparation
Cut the Treviso radicchio leaves in half lengthwise, toss them with the fennel and season with the oil, salt and rose essence.
To finish
Ingredients
1 pinch of Maldon salt
4 g of delicate extra virgin olive oil
0.5 g of finely chopped fresh ginger
4 sprays of ginger essence
Composition
Pour the pistachio cream into a chilled bowl. Garnish with the radicchio and fennel salad and place 4 warm red prawns in the center. Cover with the freshly melted blood orange sorbet. Finish with some Maldon salt crystals, oil, fresh ginger and essence.
