Discovering the restaurant "La Torre" at Castello Del Nero: Blue lobster with Chianti reduction, cauliflower and blanched vegetables

Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

WeChianti goes on a fascinating journey into the kitchen of Giovanni Luca Di Pirro, chef in the Michelin-starred restaurant “La Torre”, inside the Castello del Nero in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.

Their cuisine is masterfully described by the chef and the journalist Claudio Mollo in the book, launched a few months ago, “La Cucina del Castello Del Nero”.

The book, illustrated with spectacular photographs, captures all the essence of this special kitchen.

Here we discover mouthwatering dishes, beautifully designed from the first ingredient to the last.

In a journey that combines fresh products, creativity and craftsmanship for excellent results. Allowing us to dream a little.

BLUE LOBSTER WITH CHIANTI REDUCTION, CAULIFLOWER AND BLANCHED VEGETABLES

Ingredient for 2 people

1 Blu Lobster

For the lobster: 600g blue lobster, acidic court bouillon, extra virgin olive oil, pepper

For the veal-Chianti reduction: 1l demi-glace, Chianti flambéed and reduced to 50ml

For the cauliflower: 100g cauliflower, 20g butter

For the artichokes: 2 artichokes, lemon juice, 500g sparkling water, 4 bunches Romanesco cauliflower, 100g king oyster mushrooms, Maldon salt and pepper.

To cook the lobster, make an acidic court bouillon, filter it and boil it, then detach the lobster’s claws and tail and cook them separately; the tail takes 6 minutes to cook, the large claw 5 and the small claw 4.

Shock in salted ice water, then drain and remove the meat from the shells, marinate with oil and pepper, and refrigerate at +3°C.

Method

For the Chianti reduction, start with the demi-glace, add the flambéed and reduced Chianti, then cook until the sauce is smooth and thick, then filter and blast chill at +3°C.

For the cauliflower: wash and steam the cauliflowers for 4 minutes, then blend whilst still hot and add the butter.

For the artichokes: peel the leaves off the artichokes, cut them into 4 wedges, prepare the sparkling water and lemon juice, dip the artichokes into it, then put them in a vacuum bag and cook sous-vide at 90°C for 11 minutes. Blast chill but do not freeze.

For the Romanesco cauliflower and king oyster mushrooms: cook the cauliflower at 104°C for 3 minutes then blast chill.

Wash the mushrooms and sauté them in a pan, salting to taste.

Quickly stir-fry the lobster in a pan, then garnish the dish with the cauliflower cream and the vegetables, cut the lobster into medallions, sauce and serve with flakes of Maldon salt and pepper.

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