Tagliolini with Asparagus Cream, Scallops, and Bottarga

Name: Tagliolini with Asparagus Cream, Scallops, and Bottarga
Yield: Serves 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 oz. fresh egg tagliolini pasta (340 grams); 6-8 sea scallops; To taste, black pepper; To taste, fresh basil; 1 fresh red chili pepper; To taste, mullet bottarga; for the cream:; 1 small potato; 1 lb. (2 oz.) white asparagus (500 grams); 1-2 scallions (depending on size); To taste, extra-virgin olive oil

Tony Mazzanobile @tonyliebt_kocht

Pepper, originally from India, arrived in the Western world about 2,500 years ago, promoted by doctors and food lovers. It was used in many Roman dishes, sometimes replaced by the more affordable myrtle. Little was known about the pepper plant, and during the Roman Empire, people imagined that monkeys harvested it because the plant grew in places inaccessible to humans. The pepper fruit contains a single seed; when harvested before it’s ripe, it’s green pepper; when ripe and dried, it becomes black pepper; and when the pulp is removed, it’s white pepper. The ancients, knowing only the peppercorns and not the plant, mistakenly believed that black and white pepper came from two different trees. Pepper was also used as medicine—Dioscorides, Galen, and other doctors recognized its many properties: diuretic, appetite stimulant, digestive aid, and pain reliever. Ovid suggested for those with sexual weakness: “piper urticale mordacis, semina miscent” (mix pepper with stinging nettle seeds). Pepper was very expensive, thanks to its long shelf life and resistance to adulteration. It was a rare commodity, often used by vassals to pay tributes or ransoms. It seems that the first to receive such a payment was Alaric, king of the Visigoths, who, to give up the conquest of Rome (408 AD), received three thousand pounds of pepper, along with five thousand pounds of gold and other goods and territories.

Tony Mazzanobile @tonyliebt_kocht

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Ingredients

Serves 4 servings

12 oz.fresh egg tagliolini pasta (340 grams)
6-8sea scallops
To taste, black pepper
To taste, fresh basil
1fresh red chili pepper
To taste, mullet bottarga
for the cream:
1small potato
1 lb. (2 oz.)white asparagus (500 grams)
1-2scallions (depending on size)
To taste, extra-virgin olive oil

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Steps

1

Trim the tough ends off the asparagus. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer layer, then leave the tips whole and dice the rest of the stalks. Simmer the tips in salted water for 5 minutes, drain, and season with olive oil and black pepper.
2

In a hot skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil, sliced scallions, thinly sliced potato, and the diced asparagus stalks (not the tips). Add salt, cook to develop flavor, then add 1/2 cup hot water and cook until the potato is tender. Let cool, then blend everything (except the tips) with a steady stream of olive oil until smooth and creamy. Adjust salt to taste.
3

Clean the scallops, removing the coral. Rub them with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and olive oil. In a hot skillet without added fat, sear the scallops on one side for just under a minute. Flip and sear the other side the same way. Slice them into pieces that aren’t too thin.
4

Cook the tagliolini in plenty of salted boiling water for just 1 minute, until they’re revived. Transfer them to the hot skillet with the asparagus cream. Gently toss and continue cooking, adding pasta cooking water as needed.
5

With about 30 seconds left, add the scallops, torn basil, and deseeded chili pepper. Finish cooking, tossing everything together. Don’t let it dry out—the sauce should stay very creamy, as it will thicken when plating and could otherwise ruin the dish. Drizzle with raw olive oil and toss. Plate, add another drizzle of olive oil, and grate bottarga over the top.