
Red wine-infused spaghetti, adorned with the noble pigeon of Pontedera and the salted anchovy

Red wine-infused spaghetti, adorned with the noble pigeon of Pontedera and the salted anchovy

Red wine-infused spaghetti, adorned with the noble pigeon of Pontedera and the salted anchovy
INSPIRATION
This dish was born almost by chance, during a winter's day when we needed to prepare several pigeons, for which I had envisioned a simple creation: a salad accompanied by crusty bread, sweet baby onions, and shallots simmered in red wine.
Yet, it was the encounter with the marinated anchovy of Monterosso that altered the course of the dish. Its clean, marine, almost sharp salinity, paired with the profound sweetness of the Tuscan pigeon, forged an unexpected and wondrous union.
From that revelation emerged a complex and harmonious first course, wherein the spaghetti infused with red wine becomes the conducting thread between land and sea, between the Liguria of the anchovies and the Tuscany of the pigeon. A delicacy born of the unforeseen, and today among the most coveted creations of our cuisine.
PORTIONS (FOR 4 PERSONS)
THE RECIPE
Shallots
Squab, its offal and liver
Desalted anchovies
Acid butter
Chives
Fresh chervil
Tuscan red wine
24-month aged Parmigiano
Dry white wine
White wine vinegar
White onions
Butter
Passito sweet wine
Spaghetti
Extra virgin olive oil
6
1
4
To taste
To taste
To taste
200 g
10 g
250 g
250 g
2
250 g
1 Glass
360 g
To taste
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE SQUAB
Squab
1
FOR THE ACIDULATED BUTTER
Dry white wine
White wine vinegar
White onions
Butter
250 g
250 g
2
250 g
FOR THE ARTFUL PREPARATION OF THE SQUAB'S LIVER
Squab
Shallots
Passito wine
Liver
2
1 Glass
FOR THE ANCHOVIES
Desalted anchovies
4
FOR THE FOUNDATION OF THE PAN
Spaghetti
Shallots
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Acidulated butter
Tuscan red wine
24-month aged Parmigiano
Chives
360 g
4
To taste
1 Tablespoon
200 g
10 g
To taste
FOR THE ART OF PLATING
Fresh chervil
To taste
CURATION
For the roasting of the squab:
Gently roast the whole squab, having first removed its thighs and all viscera (ensuring you preserve the cherished liver). Cradle the bird in a saucepan, bathing it in shimmering butter, and consummate its cooking in an oven at 200°C for a brief 5 minutes. Allow it to rest, cocooned in warmth.For the acid butter:
In a saucepan, let the white wine and vinegar reduce alongside the two onions, concentrating their essence. Filter the elixir through a fine-mesh sieve, and whisk the chilled butter, piece by piece, into the warm liquid. Work with a whisk until a smooth, silken emulsion is born. Pour this butter into artisanal molds and keep it in the cold until its moment of glory.For the squab liver:
Sauté the precious liver with the two shallots and the sweet passito wine. Blend the mixture until it reaches a state of sublime, velvety uniformity, then cradle it in a mold and freeze.For the anchovies:
Desalt the anchovies, gently filleting them and cleansing them with utmost care of any impurities. Carve them into delicate strips and set them aside.For the pan base:
Allow the julienned shallots to wilt softly in a pan with a thread of extra virgin olive oil and a spoonful of the acid butter. Deglaze with red wine, letting the alcohol swiftly evaporate. Cook the spaghetti in a generous abundance of salted water, and, midway through its journey, drain it directly into the murmuring sauce. Bind and cream the pasta with parmigiano and the fresh whisper of chives.For the presentation:
Sliver the breast of the squab into delicate slices, arranging them in the hollow of a deep plate. Drape the red-wine spaghetti atop this canvas, and adorn it with a few slivers of anchovy. Garnish with fresh, delicate chervil, and shave the frozen squab liver over the dish like a final, decadent snow.
INSPIRATION
This dish was born almost by chance, during a winter's day when we needed to prepare several pigeons, for which I had envisioned a simple creation: a salad accompanied by crusty bread, sweet baby onions, and shallots simmered in red wine.
Yet, it was the encounter with the marinated anchovy of Monterosso that altered the course of the dish. Its clean, marine, almost sharp salinity, paired with the profound sweetness of the Tuscan pigeon, forged an unexpected and wondrous union.
From that revelation emerged a complex and harmonious first course, wherein the spaghetti infused with red wine becomes the conducting thread between land and sea, between the Liguria of the anchovies and the Tuscany of the pigeon. A delicacy born of the unforeseen, and today among the most coveted creations of our cuisine.
PORTIONS (FOR 4 PERSONS)
THE RECIPE
Shallots
Squab, its offal and liver
Desalted anchovies
Acid butter
Chives
Fresh chervil
Tuscan red wine
24-month aged Parmigiano
Dry white wine
White wine vinegar
White onions
Butter
Passito sweet wine
Spaghetti
Extra virgin olive oil
6
1
4
To taste
To taste
To taste
200 g
10 g
250 g
250 g
2
250 g
1 Glass
360 g
To taste
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE SQUAB
Squab
1
FOR THE ACIDULATED BUTTER
Dry white wine
White wine vinegar
White onions
Butter
250 g
250 g
2
250 g
FOR THE ARTFUL PREPARATION OF THE SQUAB'S LIVER
Squab
Shallots
Passito wine
Liver
2
1 Glass
FOR THE ANCHOVIES
Desalted anchovies
4
FOR THE FOUNDATION OF THE PAN
Spaghetti
Shallots
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Acidulated butter
Tuscan red wine
24-month aged Parmigiano
Chives
360 g
4
To taste
1 Tablespoon
200 g
10 g
To taste
FOR THE ART OF PLATING
Fresh chervil
To taste
CURATION
For the roasting of the squab:
Gently roast the whole squab, having first removed its thighs and all viscera (ensuring you preserve the cherished liver). Cradle the bird in a saucepan, bathing it in shimmering butter, and consummate its cooking in an oven at 200°C for a brief 5 minutes. Allow it to rest, cocooned in warmth.For the acid butter:
In a saucepan, let the white wine and vinegar reduce alongside the two onions, concentrating their essence. Filter the elixir through a fine-mesh sieve, and whisk the chilled butter, piece by piece, into the warm liquid. Work with a whisk until a smooth, silken emulsion is born. Pour this butter into artisanal molds and keep it in the cold until its moment of glory.For the squab liver:
Sauté the precious liver with the two shallots and the sweet passito wine. Blend the mixture until it reaches a state of sublime, velvety uniformity, then cradle it in a mold and freeze.For the anchovies:
Desalt the anchovies, gently filleting them and cleansing them with utmost care of any impurities. Carve them into delicate strips and set them aside.For the pan base:
Allow the julienned shallots to wilt softly in a pan with a thread of extra virgin olive oil and a spoonful of the acid butter. Deglaze with red wine, letting the alcohol swiftly evaporate. Cook the spaghetti in a generous abundance of salted water, and, midway through its journey, drain it directly into the murmuring sauce. Bind and cream the pasta with parmigiano and the fresh whisper of chives.For the presentation:
Sliver the breast of the squab into delicate slices, arranging them in the hollow of a deep plate. Drape the red-wine spaghetti atop this canvas, and adorn it with a few slivers of anchovy. Garnish with fresh, delicate chervil, and shave the frozen squab liver over the dish like a final, decadent snow.
INSPIRATION
This dish was born almost by chance, during a winter's day when we needed to prepare several pigeons, for which I had envisioned a simple creation: a salad accompanied by crusty bread, sweet baby onions, and shallots simmered in red wine.
Yet, it was the encounter with the marinated anchovy of Monterosso that altered the course of the dish. Its clean, marine, almost sharp salinity, paired with the profound sweetness of the Tuscan pigeon, forged an unexpected and wondrous union.
From that revelation emerged a complex and harmonious first course, wherein the spaghetti infused with red wine becomes the conducting thread between land and sea, between the Liguria of the anchovies and the Tuscany of the pigeon. A delicacy born of the unforeseen, and today among the most coveted creations of our cuisine.
PORTIONS (FOR 4 PERSONS)
THE RECIPE
Shallots
Squab, its offal and liver
Desalted anchovies
Acid butter
Chives
Fresh chervil
Tuscan red wine
24-month aged Parmigiano
Dry white wine
White wine vinegar
White onions
Butter
Passito sweet wine
Spaghetti
Extra virgin olive oil
6
1
4
To taste
To taste
To taste
200 g
10 g
250 g
250 g
2
250 g
1 Glass
360 g
To taste
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE SQUAB
Squab
1
FOR THE ACIDULATED BUTTER
Dry white wine
White wine vinegar
White onions
Butter
250 g
250 g
2
250 g
FOR THE ARTFUL PREPARATION OF THE SQUAB'S LIVER
Squab
Shallots
Passito wine
Liver
2
1 Glass
FOR THE ANCHOVIES
Desalted anchovies
4
FOR THE FOUNDATION OF THE PAN
Spaghetti
Shallots
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Acidulated butter
Tuscan red wine
24-month aged Parmigiano
Chives
360 g
4
To taste
1 Tablespoon
200 g
10 g
To taste
FOR THE ART OF PLATING
Fresh chervil
To taste
CURATION
For the roasting of the squab:
Gently roast the whole squab, having first removed its thighs and all viscera (ensuring you preserve the cherished liver). Cradle the bird in a saucepan, bathing it in shimmering butter, and consummate its cooking in an oven at 200°C for a brief 5 minutes. Allow it to rest, cocooned in warmth.For the acid butter:
In a saucepan, let the white wine and vinegar reduce alongside the two onions, concentrating their essence. Filter the elixir through a fine-mesh sieve, and whisk the chilled butter, piece by piece, into the warm liquid. Work with a whisk until a smooth, silken emulsion is born. Pour this butter into artisanal molds and keep it in the cold until its moment of glory.For the squab liver:
Sauté the precious liver with the two shallots and the sweet passito wine. Blend the mixture until it reaches a state of sublime, velvety uniformity, then cradle it in a mold and freeze.For the anchovies:
Desalt the anchovies, gently filleting them and cleansing them with utmost care of any impurities. Carve them into delicate strips and set them aside.For the pan base:
Allow the julienned shallots to wilt softly in a pan with a thread of extra virgin olive oil and a spoonful of the acid butter. Deglaze with red wine, letting the alcohol swiftly evaporate. Cook the spaghetti in a generous abundance of salted water, and, midway through its journey, drain it directly into the murmuring sauce. Bind and cream the pasta with parmigiano and the fresh whisper of chives.For the presentation:
Sliver the breast of the squab into delicate slices, arranging them in the hollow of a deep plate. Drape the red-wine spaghetti atop this canvas, and adorn it with a few slivers of anchovy. Garnish with fresh, delicate chervil, and shave the frozen squab liver over the dish like a final, decadent snow.

