He always says that as a child he wanted to be an inventor, but then "observing my mother's expert and passionate hands, but above all dwelling on the ecstasy and involvement that food caused on my senses and in my mind" came to realize that the kitchen with the infinity of food languages, its empathetic, attractive and regenerative strength it was a veritable forge of inventions on which to exercise his imagination and lavish his passion.
And this is how Luca Marchini, originally from Tuscany, Aretino to be exact, but Modenese by adoption since the age of 17, and perfectly integrated, heart and soul, in the gastronomic traditions of Modena, among the oldest since they are already mentioned in some books of the 1300s, even in Boccaccio's Decameron, he established that his future culinary life would be rooted here, climbing all the steps of quality cuisine at full speed up to to be gratified by the Michelin star that for years has been proudly displayed on its refined restaurant L'Erba del Re opened in 2003 in a period building in one of the most beautiful historic squares of the Emilian city.
Un restaurant that can be defined as a laboratory where Marchini, president of theJRE Italy association, who took his first steps at the court of multi-starred fellow citizen, Massimo Bottura, has been experimenting with the many "food concepts" for years to express what represents the essence of his culinary philosophy which is based on "balance, delicacy, respect and enhancement of the raw material".
The underlying concept: sensory training, a path due to the culinary art
His creed, in fact, is to "share, interpret, listen and savor carefully... the palate, even the one already sensitive by nature, which must be educated", and yes, because Luca Marchini bases his culinary practices on the belief that "L''sensory training is a path due to the culinary art, as to any high art form, because the sensitivity of taste is the tool that allows you to enjoy emotions more intense than every bite".
Territoriality and evolution are the two pillars of the The King's Grass, two strong souls that merge in the chef's creations which, if basically they are a tribute to the traditions of Emilia Romagna, on the other hand embrace a more general concept of Italian cuisine elaborated according to modern forms of culinary expression which nonetheless keep the prerogatives for which each element of the dish must have a recognizable identity, at the service of the other ingredients.
For Marchini there is something extraordinary in the simple goodness of food and its evolution. “It's called time. I speak – he adds – of an unhurried meditation, immersing oneself in a state of lost love for the raw material and for the processing techniques, which lead to the composition of a balanced dish”.
For the readers of Mondo Food the chef offers the Tortellino liar recipe, mussels, bisque, sour cream, coffee and cocoa powder, amazing combination of flavors, of easy to make cconceived as a dish dmeeting between land and sea, but above all as a story of "poor" gastronomic cultures of great value, the Emilian and the Campania ones, which however are combined here in a dish of high gastronomy
The humble dish of those who could not afford luxuries, "liars" out of necessity
In fact, the lying tortellini was born in the mountains between Modena and Bologna where there was no shortage of eggs and flour, while meat was still a luxury. Small handkerchiefs of egg pasta were closed forming a tortellini, “liar” because without filling… the luckiest ones could add a few crusts of parmesan together with the vegetable broth.
Mussels, a democratic mussel, offer the tasty touch of the southern sea.
"Tortellino and mussel... with these two elements, explains Marchini, king and queen of our recipe, we wanted to pay homage to the mastery of simple, yet so wise cultures, which valued the ingredients available and left exceptional flavors to subsequent generations".
The recipe for Tortellino liar, mussels, bisque, sour cream, coffee powder and cocoa.
Ingredients for 4 people:
2 eggs,
200 grams of flour 00;
½ kg of mussels,
50 g of fresh cream,
lemon juice,
50 cl shellfish broth (bisque),
300 g of seed oil,
its sale,
extra virgin olive oil,
vegetable broth,
sprouts,
coffee powder and cocoa
Preparation
For the lying tortellini:
knead the eggs with the flour for a long time, let it rest and roll out the batter better with a rolling pin, it must be thin and homogeneous. Cut 3×3 cm squares and close them as if they were tortellini, but without the filling (liars). Let them dry for 15 minutes and freeze them. Cook them in salted water for a minute and then braise them in vegetable broth, mussel cooking water, extra virgin olive oil.
For the mussels:
brown the mussels with oil in a pan for a few seconds. As soon as they open, remove them one by one at the time of opening. Shell them, set aside the water you create for the tortellini, keep them warm.
For the bisque emulsion:
place the shellfish stock in a small cylindrical container. Combine a little lemon juice, a little salt and start making a mayonnaise by drizzling in the seed oil.
For the sour cream:
combine cream and lemon juice. Start stirring the cream slowly with the prongs of a fork. Leave to rest in the refrigerator.
For the coffee and cocoa powder: combine the coffee and cocoa powder in equal parts, add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, add salt.
Introduction
put the bisque emulsion at the base. Arrange the lying tortellini on top and then in sequence the mussels, sour cream, coffee powder and cocoa
