INSPIRATION
I was born in Sardinia, and certain flavors remain within you forever. Fiore Sardo is one of these: ancient, direct, almost rugged. It carries with it the smoke, the raw milk, the pasture. When I taste it, I rediscover something ancestral and primitive.
I did not wish merely to use the cheese u2014 I desired to cross its very structure. Every ingredient is a universe composed of water, proteins, and fats, and it is often within the fat that the most intense aromatic memory resides. I extracted the Fiore Sardo slowly, separating its elements: the protein element, the clear and intense water, and the butter u2014 which guards the deepest essence.
The spaghetto cooks first in water, then in the pecorino water, progressively absorbing the very soul of the cheese. The pecorino butter is perfumed with precious Yunnan Pepper u2014 citrusy, almost electric u2014 which does not mask, but amplifies. Lemon appears in three guises: juice, powder, and pickled leaf. It does not merely add acidity: it introduces light, opens the palate, and lightens its richness.
It is a cacio e pepe that "has traveled far," yet has not forgotten its origin. Sardinia and China, pastoral life and technique, memory and journey u2014 diverse cultures that recognize one another through a shared harmony.
PORTIONS (FOR 4 PERSONS)
THE RECIPE
Still spring water
Fiore Sardo aged 30 months
Fiore Sardo cheese
Lazzone cheese
Organic lemons
Lemon juice
Lemon essence water (drawn from
the gentle blanching process)
Agar-agar
Monograno Spaghetti
Yunnan pepper stalk
Timut pepper
Brined lemon leaf
Mirin
Laurel leaf
5 liters and 700 ml
300g
200g
150g
1 crate
500ml
As needed
5g
280g
As needed
As needed
As needed
300g
1 Leaf
FOR THE PECORINO NECTAR AND ESSENCE OF PECORINO BUTTER
Still water
Fiore Sardo aged 30 months
Fiore Sardo
Lazzone
5 liters
300g
200g
150g
FOR THE LEMON CREATIONS
Organic lemons
Lemon juice
Lemon essence water (drawn from
the blanching process)
Agar-agar
Pickled lemon leaf
Water
Mirin
Bay laurel
1 crate
500ml
As needed
5g
As needed
700ml
300g
1 Leaf
FOR THE PASTA AND THE FINAL FLOURISH
Monograno Spaghetto
Yunnan Pepper Log
Timut Pepper
280g
To taste
To taste
CURATION
For the Pecorino Nectar and Butter:
In a high-sided saucepan, unite the water with the trio of pecorino cheeses. Blend gently, ensuring no solid mass forms at the base. Elevate the temperature to 75°C (never exceeding 85/90°C, lest the delicate proteins denature) and allow it to infuse and dissolve for 3 to 6 hours. Remove from the fire and seal with film to create an "Atmosphere" (a cold-induced internal pressure that heightens and intensifies the flavor). Let it cool at room temperature. Decant in the cold sanctuary of the refrigerator (4°/6°C) for 24 hours. The mixture will divide into 3 distinct layers: the proteinaceous mass (resting at the bottom, to be reborn in other preparations), the pecorino nectar (in the center), and the pecorino butter (floating upon the surface). Separate these treasures and preserve the nectar and butter under vacuum at 3/4°C (employ the butter chilled).For the Lemon Elixir and Dust:
Peel the lemons with reverence. Blanch the rinds for 2 minutes in boiling water, then arrest the cooking instantly in an ice bath. Repeat this ritual 7 times, always changing the water (thus yielding various "lemon elixirs"). Dry the rinds between two cloths for 4 hours, then dehydrate them at 45°C for 12 hours. Blend at maximum speed for 2 minutes, pass through a fine sieve, and preserve this golden dust in an airtight jar.For the Lemon Gel:
In a copper saucier, combine the fresh lemon juice, the lemon elixir, and the agar-agar. Whisk to dissolve completely. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and let it cool in a steel tray. Once gelled, blend, sieve, and transfer into a piping bag. Store under vacuum at 4°C.For the Alchemy of Cooking and Presentation:
Boil the spaghetti in abundant, lightly salted water, taking it just past half of its designated cooking time. Drain the pasta and consummate its cooking by gently "risottando" it in the pecorino nectar, drawn from the cold at the final moment. Mantecate with the cold pecorino butter and a whisper of fresh lemon juice, to achieve harmony and cleanse the palate.
INSPIRATION
I was born in Sardinia, and certain flavors remain within you forever. Fiore Sardo is one of these: ancient, direct, almost rugged. It carries with it the smoke, the raw milk, the pasture. When I taste it, I rediscover something ancestral and primitive.
I did not wish merely to use the cheese u2014 I desired to cross its very structure. Every ingredient is a universe composed of water, proteins, and fats, and it is often within the fat that the most intense aromatic memory resides. I extracted the Fiore Sardo slowly, separating its elements: the protein element, the clear and intense water, and the butter u2014 which guards the deepest essence.
The spaghetto cooks first in water, then in the pecorino water, progressively absorbing the very soul of the cheese. The pecorino butter is perfumed with precious Yunnan Pepper u2014 citrusy, almost electric u2014 which does not mask, but amplifies. Lemon appears in three guises: juice, powder, and pickled leaf. It does not merely add acidity: it introduces light, opens the palate, and lightens its richness.
It is a cacio e pepe that "has traveled far," yet has not forgotten its origin. Sardinia and China, pastoral life and technique, memory and journey u2014 diverse cultures that recognize one another through a shared harmony.
PORTIONS (FOR 4 PERSONS)
THE RECIPE
Still spring water
Fiore Sardo aged 30 months
Fiore Sardo cheese
Lazzone cheese
Organic lemons
Lemon juice
Lemon essence water (drawn from
the gentle blanching process)
Agar-agar
Monograno Spaghetti
Yunnan pepper stalk
Timut pepper
Brined lemon leaf
Mirin
Laurel leaf
5 liters and 700 ml
300g
200g
150g
1 crate
500ml
As needed
5g
280g
As needed
As needed
As needed
300g
1 Leaf
FOR THE PECORINO NECTAR AND ESSENCE OF PECORINO BUTTER
Still water
Fiore Sardo aged 30 months
Fiore Sardo
Lazzone
5 liters
300g
200g
150g
FOR THE LEMON CREATIONS
Organic lemons
Lemon juice
Lemon essence water (drawn from
the blanching process)
Agar-agar
Pickled lemon leaf
Water
Mirin
Bay laurel
1 crate
500ml
As needed
5g
As needed
700ml
300g
1 Leaf
FOR THE PASTA AND THE FINAL FLOURISH
Monograno Spaghetto
Yunnan Pepper Log
Timut Pepper
280g
To taste
To taste
CURATION
For the Pecorino Nectar and Butter:
In a high-sided saucepan, unite the water with the trio of pecorino cheeses. Blend gently, ensuring no solid mass forms at the base. Elevate the temperature to 75°C (never exceeding 85/90°C, lest the delicate proteins denature) and allow it to infuse and dissolve for 3 to 6 hours. Remove from the fire and seal with film to create an "Atmosphere" (a cold-induced internal pressure that heightens and intensifies the flavor). Let it cool at room temperature. Decant in the cold sanctuary of the refrigerator (4°/6°C) for 24 hours. The mixture will divide into 3 distinct layers: the proteinaceous mass (resting at the bottom, to be reborn in other preparations), the pecorino nectar (in the center), and the pecorino butter (floating upon the surface). Separate these treasures and preserve the nectar and butter under vacuum at 3/4°C (employ the butter chilled).For the Lemon Elixir and Dust:
Peel the lemons with reverence. Blanch the rinds for 2 minutes in boiling water, then arrest the cooking instantly in an ice bath. Repeat this ritual 7 times, always changing the water (thus yielding various "lemon elixirs"). Dry the rinds between two cloths for 4 hours, then dehydrate them at 45°C for 12 hours. Blend at maximum speed for 2 minutes, pass through a fine sieve, and preserve this golden dust in an airtight jar.For the Lemon Gel:
In a copper saucier, combine the fresh lemon juice, the lemon elixir, and the agar-agar. Whisk to dissolve completely. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and let it cool in a steel tray. Once gelled, blend, sieve, and transfer into a piping bag. Store under vacuum at 4°C.For the Alchemy of Cooking and Presentation:
Boil the spaghetti in abundant, lightly salted water, taking it just past half of its designated cooking time. Drain the pasta and consummate its cooking by gently "risottando" it in the pecorino nectar, drawn from the cold at the final moment. Mantecate with the cold pecorino butter and a whisper of fresh lemon juice, to achieve harmony and cleanse the palate.
INSPIRATION
I was born in Sardinia, and certain flavors remain within you forever. Fiore Sardo is one of these: ancient, direct, almost rugged. It carries with it the smoke, the raw milk, the pasture. When I taste it, I rediscover something ancestral and primitive.
I did not wish merely to use the cheese u2014 I desired to cross its very structure. Every ingredient is a universe composed of water, proteins, and fats, and it is often within the fat that the most intense aromatic memory resides. I extracted the Fiore Sardo slowly, separating its elements: the protein element, the clear and intense water, and the butter u2014 which guards the deepest essence.
The spaghetto cooks first in water, then in the pecorino water, progressively absorbing the very soul of the cheese. The pecorino butter is perfumed with precious Yunnan Pepper u2014 citrusy, almost electric u2014 which does not mask, but amplifies. Lemon appears in three guises: juice, powder, and pickled leaf. It does not merely add acidity: it introduces light, opens the palate, and lightens its richness.
It is a cacio e pepe that "has traveled far," yet has not forgotten its origin. Sardinia and China, pastoral life and technique, memory and journey u2014 diverse cultures that recognize one another through a shared harmony.
PORTIONS (FOR 4 PERSONS)
THE RECIPE
Still spring water
Fiore Sardo aged 30 months
Fiore Sardo cheese
Lazzone cheese
Organic lemons
Lemon juice
Lemon essence water (drawn from
the gentle blanching process)
Agar-agar
Monograno Spaghetti
Yunnan pepper stalk
Timut pepper
Brined lemon leaf
Mirin
Laurel leaf
5 liters and 700 ml
300g
200g
150g
1 crate
500ml
As needed
5g
280g
As needed
As needed
As needed
300g
1 Leaf
FOR THE PECORINO NECTAR AND ESSENCE OF PECORINO BUTTER
Still water
Fiore Sardo aged 30 months
Fiore Sardo
Lazzone
5 liters
300g
200g
150g
FOR THE LEMON CREATIONS
Organic lemons
Lemon juice
Lemon essence water (drawn from
the blanching process)
Agar-agar
Pickled lemon leaf
Water
Mirin
Bay laurel
1 crate
500ml
As needed
5g
As needed
700ml
300g
1 Leaf
FOR THE PASTA AND THE FINAL FLOURISH
Monograno Spaghetto
Yunnan Pepper Log
Timut Pepper
280g
To taste
To taste
CURATION
For the Pecorino Nectar and Butter:
In a high-sided saucepan, unite the water with the trio of pecorino cheeses. Blend gently, ensuring no solid mass forms at the base. Elevate the temperature to 75°C (never exceeding 85/90°C, lest the delicate proteins denature) and allow it to infuse and dissolve for 3 to 6 hours. Remove from the fire and seal with film to create an "Atmosphere" (a cold-induced internal pressure that heightens and intensifies the flavor). Let it cool at room temperature. Decant in the cold sanctuary of the refrigerator (4°/6°C) for 24 hours. The mixture will divide into 3 distinct layers: the proteinaceous mass (resting at the bottom, to be reborn in other preparations), the pecorino nectar (in the center), and the pecorino butter (floating upon the surface). Separate these treasures and preserve the nectar and butter under vacuum at 3/4°C (employ the butter chilled).For the Lemon Elixir and Dust:
Peel the lemons with reverence. Blanch the rinds for 2 minutes in boiling water, then arrest the cooking instantly in an ice bath. Repeat this ritual 7 times, always changing the water (thus yielding various "lemon elixirs"). Dry the rinds between two cloths for 4 hours, then dehydrate them at 45°C for 12 hours. Blend at maximum speed for 2 minutes, pass through a fine sieve, and preserve this golden dust in an airtight jar.For the Lemon Gel:
In a copper saucier, combine the fresh lemon juice, the lemon elixir, and the agar-agar. Whisk to dissolve completely. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and let it cool in a steel tray. Once gelled, blend, sieve, and transfer into a piping bag. Store under vacuum at 4°C.For the Alchemy of Cooking and Presentation:
Boil the spaghetti in abundant, lightly salted water, taking it just past half of its designated cooking time. Drain the pasta and consummate its cooking by gently "risottando" it in the pecorino nectar, drawn from the cold at the final moment. Mantecate with the cold pecorino butter and a whisper of fresh lemon juice, to achieve harmony and cleanse the palate.