Slipper lobster risotto with lemon and tuna bottarga

A recipe from Sicilian Chef Nino Ferrari of the Limu restaurant in Bagaria, near Palermo. We head north to suggest pairing it with a Trentodoc Riserva 1673 Cesarini Sforza.

Ingredients for 4 people:

For the slipper lobster broth: 400g of very fresh slipper lobsters, 2 celery sticks, 1 onion, aromatic herbs (wild fennel, mint and parsley).

For the sour cream butter: 100g shallots, 100g white wine, 50g white wine vinegar, 2 lemons, 250g salted Normandy butter,

For the risotto: 280g Carnaroli rice, 1 glass white wine, 2 liters slipper lobster broth, 160g lemon-flavored sour cream butter, 8 celery leaves, raw slipper lobster meat (see above), 20g chives, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon peel, 80g tuna bottarga, 40g Parmigiano Reggiano.

Directions:

For the slipper lobster broth: Use kitchen scissors to shell the slipper lobsters making sure to keep the meat intact. Keep the shells and the meat separate.

Use the shells to make the broth needed to cook the risotto. Toast the slipper lobster shells in a pot with a trickle of olive oil, add a mirepoix of celery and onion and the white wine and continue cooking. Add in the aromatic herbs and then cover everything with ice. Bring the broth to a boil and cook for around an hour.

Siphon everything through a food mill. Save the broth for cooking the risotto.

For the sour cream butter: Chop the shallots and put them in a pot with the wine and vinegar. Cook until it is reduced by 50%.

Once reduced, use a tablespoon to mix in the Normandy butter. Whip up with a wisp adding in the peel of two lemons. Keep in the refrigerator.

For the risotto: Toast the rice in a dry pot and then douse it with the white wine. Let the wine evaporate and then cook for another 10 minutes adding in only the slipper lobster broth. Once cooked, cover the rice and let it sit for a couple of minutes before mixing in the other ingredients.

In the meantime, cut the raw slipper lobster meat into small pieces and season it with only olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon peel. Cut the chives and tuna bottarga into diamond shaped pieces.

Stir the rice adding in two tablespoons of sour cream butter, a tablespoon of olive oil, chives and the Parmigiano. Mix well, adding salt if necessary.

On each plate place some rice and on top put some raw slipper lobster, the bottarga and celery leaves.

Wine to pair:

(by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Trentodoc 1673 Riserva 2015 Cesarini Sforza

Light straw yellow color with elegant and rich perlage. Fine nose with immediate hints of sourdough and white bread, yellow plum, white tea and winter melon. Vibrant and neat taste, delicate yet pleasant bubbles, good acidity. Elegant and persistent notes of bread and crunchy fruits in the aftertaste. 

Production area: the most vocated high altitude vineyards of the Cembra Valley, facing south-southeast at an altitude of 550-670 meters. The soils of fluvio-glacial origin are characterized by porphyritic sand, loose, with sub-alkaline reaction. The marked temperature range between day and night, mitigated by the Ora del Garda (wind) that channels into the valley, and the optimal exposure contribute to the perfect ripening of the grapes and the concentration of the typical and precious aromas in the grapes.

Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay. Raining system is simple Trentino pergola, with a planting density of 5,000 vines/ha and a yield of 45 hl/ha.

Harvest: manual harvesting in the first decade of September.

Vinification: soft pressing of whole grapes in a special Marmonier press, static decantation of the must, fermentation of only the flower must at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks, ageing on the lees for about 6 months, refermentation in the bottle, at least 60 months on the yeast.

Dosage: Extra Brut (2,5 g/l).

Alcohol content: 12.5% vol.

Serving temperature: 8°C.

THIS RECIPE IS OFFERED BY CESARINI SFORZA

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