Pilu's Culurgiones of potato

Method

1. Cook potatoes, in their skins, in boiling salted water for about 30 minutes, until a wooden skewer can be inserted without any resistance. Drain and pass through a potato ricer. Mix egg, Pecorino, truffle paste, nutmeg and salt flakes through the potato. Set aside to cool, then put into a piping bag.

2. Meanwhile, spread the pasta dough out onto a clean, lightly floured workbench and cut 7cm rounds from the dough. Dust lightly with flour, place on a lightly floured tray and cover with plastic wrap.

3. Place a pasta round on the fingers of one hand and pipe a thick sausage of the potato filling along the centre of it. Turn the bottom of the dough over part of the filling then, using the thumb of the other hand, pinch a small fold of dough over from the left side, then, without moving your thumb, use the first finger to pinch a small fold of dough over from the right side. Continue making tiny pinches from alternate sides, without moving the thumb or other finger, sealing across the top of the parcel in a pleated effect and squeezing excess filling out the end. Twist the end to seal it off. There are two important steps to remember: don’t press down so that too much filling is pushed out, and make pinches as small as possible.

4. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add fine sea salt, then half the culurgiones and cook on a gentle boil for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Using a slotted spoon, scoop them out and place in a colander to drain well. Repeat with remaining culurgiones. 

5. To serve, spread two tablespoons of puree onto a plate, arrange five pieces or culurgiones. Place 1 teaspoon drops of pecorino foam in between culurgiones. Scatter over fried Jerusalem artichoke pieces.

Pecorino foam

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and sweat until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce by three quarters. Add the chicken stock and the cubed pecorino, reduce the mixture by half. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Strain, add the grated pecorino, and puree the mixture with a stick blender. Season with the lemon juice and salt. Keep hot until ready to use.

Jerusalem artichokes puree

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until foamy. Add the Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes and sweat until tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in the milk and cream and bring to a simmer. Cook until completely soft, about 15 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth and season with salt.

Roasted Jerusalem artichokes

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Scrub and clean the Jerusalem artichokes thoroughly but do not peel them. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook them for five minutes. Drain the Jerusalem artichokes and cool to room temperature. Once cold, place them on a piece of foil, add the herbs and the salt and close the packet.

3. Roast the artichokes in the oven until tender, approx 45 minutes. Carefully remove them from the foil and cut in quarters. Fry them in hot oil until golden in colour.

4. Place in a paper towel and season to taste.

Fresh pasta dough

1. Sift flour and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer.

2. Lightly whisk egg yolks and eggs together.

3. Mixing with a dough hook, drizzle most of egg mixture into flour until absorbed.

4. Then start adding remaining egg, a little at a time, to form a soft dough, you may not need it all; towards the end it doesn’t take much extra liquid for the dough to become too soft.

5. Tip dough onto a clean, lightly floured workbench and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

6. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for about 1 hour.

7. If using a pasta machine, cut dough into 4 pieces and flatten one piece slightly, wrapping remaining pieces in plastic wrap to prevent them drying out.

8. Pass the flattened piece of dough through a pasta machine on the widest setting, fold in half, then pass again 3 more times, folding in half between each pass.

9. Reduce setting on the machine 1 notch and pass the dough through, then pass 2 more times, reducing the setting each time, dusting lightly with flour if it starts to stick.

10. Turn setting back up to the widest, fold pasta sheet in thirds and pass through the machine again, pass through 2 more times, reducing the setting each time.

11. Fold sheet in thirds (like a brochure), turn the sheet 90 degrees, turn the setting back to the widest and pass through the machine multiple times, reducing the setting each time, until you reach the thickness suitable for the specific pasta shape you’re making (see details in individual recipes).

12. When the dough starts to get too long to handle, cut it in half and continue with each half separately. If it becomes too long to handle again, cut in half again.

13. Repeat with remaining dough.

Wine Match

Pinot Noir