Squid ink tagliatelle with mussels, tomatoes and pistachios

A seafood first course (recipe from Chef Matteo Giudici) that we pair with an Ischia Biancolella Tenuta dei Preti 2019 Cantine Tommasone.

Ingredients for 4 people

For the pasta: 200g soft-wheat flour, 100g durum wheat flour, 10g oil, 3 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks, a pinch of salty and a packet of squid ink.

For the sauce: 2 garlic cloves, oil as needed, 500g mussels,200g cherry tomatoes, a glass of white wine, a hot chili pepper (if desired) and a tablespoon of crushed pistachios.

Directions:

For the pasta: Create a mount with both flours and put the eggs at the center along with the oil and squid ink. Knead everything energetically together to make a lump of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it sit in the refrigerator for two hours. Roll out the dough using a pasta machine (or by hand with a rolling pin if you prefer) and cut the pasta into tagliatelle strips.

For the sauce: Put the oil and 1 garlic clove in a broad pan and heat until the garlic takes on color and then remove the clove before adding the mussels that have been well cleaned. Cover the pan and cook the mussels until they open, stirring occasionally. Douse the mussels with the wine. Shell the mussels.

Put the other garlic clove in another pan and heat with a trickle of oil and the chili pepper. Add the cherry tomatoes and the juice from the mussels that has been kept aside and filtered. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the mussels.

Boil the pasta in abundant salted water and drain when it is still undercooked (al dente). Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix everything together.

Serve with each plate topped with some crushed pistachios.

Wine to pair:

(edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Ischia Biancolella Tenuta dei Preti 2019 Cantine Tommasone

Bright straw yellow color. Wide aromasof white flowers, yellow fruit, fresh almonds, saffron and mint. Fresh, smooth and sharp taste. Long savory finish with briny notes.

Production area: on the island of Ischia, in the municipality of Forio, a vineyard of 1.2 hectares at an altitude of 150 meters above sea level in Spadara.

Grape variety: Biancolella 100% of a Guyot trained vineyard, planted in 2005-6 with a density of 4.500-5.000 vines/hectare.  

Harvest: The native grapes of this Cru are hand-picked slightly overripe in mid-October. 

Vinification: Grapes are destemmed and gently pressed. The free-run juice is then statically decanted at a controlled temperature of 8-10°C and fermented in stainless steel silos at a controlled temperature (12°C) for 15 days with selected yeasts. Refinement on the noble lees continues in acacia tonneau for 6 months, with a long series of batonnage at regular intervals, to achieve a complex and gently perfumed wine. Bottling takes place at the end of April. 

Production: 5.000 bottles. 

Serving temperature: 10°C.

Suggested food pairings: It accompanies first courses of seafood, fried fish and white meat. Excellent also with mushrooms dishes. 

Related Products