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Cooking with sea water: chef Chiara Murra's spaghettone with beetroot and caciocavallo recipe

The chef of the Ca tu Martinu ethical restaurant in Taviano in the province of Lecce has embraced a gastronomic project where sea water is the protagonist of the entire menu from first courses to desserts

Cooking with sea water: chef Chiara Murra's spaghettone with beetroot and caciocavallo recipe

The Romans, when they came into conflict with the Carthaginians, called it Mare Nostrum, demonstrating the importance of the Mediterranean sea as a historical melting pot of civilization, trade, economic and cultural exchanges but also of ideas and religions

Since the world began, it must be said, given that the main religions make the world emerge from the waters, the sea with its water has primarily been an object of worship as a symbol of purity. A concept that finds even greater meaning in places where the sea itself is, even visually, the absolute protagonist in everyday life. This also applies to the kitchen, where fish products often play a decisive role.

At Casa tu Martinu, the ethical restaurant of the Relais San Martino, in Taviano, a small town in the Ionian-Salento arc 12 km south of the beautiful Gallipoli, the sea represents something so extraordinary that they have decided to bring it to the table or, better, in the kitchen.

''We feel hospitality, before a job, a philosophy of life – points out Angelo Ria, founder of the Ria Hotels group and creator of the A Casa tu Martinu concept – which guides us in projects and choices. With the Relais San Martino we have created a hotel whose main objective is to increase the happiness of the guests, considered in their entirety of body, mind and spirit. Among the essential elements for the life of the human species there is certainly the sea where (according to one of the most accredited theories) life itself began over 1 billion years ago. The seawater-based menu is a dutiful and passionate contribution to the substance in nature that is closest to human blood. From our research on sea water, incontrovertible elements have emerged which confirm the great attraction of every human being for the sea. We are very happy with the result which, like any important result in life, is the result of years of study and a series of collaborations with other wonderful Italian entrepreneurial realities. It was nice to combine the goals of pure taste with the healthy scope that food must respect in an era of overeating for billions of people around the world, including Europe. We have eliminated the salt from every recipe, maintaining an interesting level of savory natural flavor for each ingredient.''

The absolute protagonist of this gastronomic philosophy is the chef Chiara Murra and it could not be otherwise, given the special relationship that binds her to the sea.

“I was born in a hospital nestled on a rock overlooking the sea – says Chiara – and I grew up among the colors and scents of this enchanted stretch of Salento. It was exciting and very natural to imbue my cuisine with this culture, in my childhood memories there is the frisa dipped in sea water prepared by my grandmother. When Angelo Ria asked me to develop a menu entirely dedicated to sea water, it was a bit like closing a circle”.

And here it is the menu that offers a high rate of marine emotion. Starting from the small glass with only sea water that prepares you for a meal. To continue with the appetizers, with proposals such as "Fish Tartare with Toasted Lemon Powder and Herb and Sea Water Vinaigrette" or "Artisan Smoked and Fried Burrata, with Verace Tomato Sauce and Basil in Sea Water". To then move on to the first courses, all made with sea water used both in cooking the pasta and in the preparation of the various condiments: and then space for the "Orecchiette with Turnip Greens, Colatura di Alici, Chili Pepper and Flavored Crunchy Bread" or "Lo Spaghettone with Red Beetroot Cream and Caciocavallo Cheese Fondue matured in the cave”. The same goes for the second courses, obviously cooked in sea water, including "Grilled Squid with Red Lentil Cream, Cashews and Lemon Zest" or "Entrecote Tagliata with Vinaigrette, Puffed Rocket and Sweet and Sour Sauce". And the sea can also be found in the dessert list where the chef plays on the sweet/salty contrast as in the "Artisan Semifreddo al Mustacciolo with Citrus Sauce Marinated in Sea Water".

However, it should be noted that when we speak of sea water menus we are obviously not referring to the simple act of adding sea water to the various dishes. Precisely for this reason, the Sardinian company Abba Blu of San Sperate, in the province of Cagliari, which produces Marentìa, filtered, sterilized and certified seawater for food use, is also the protagonist of the project. The company takes care of the whole process: from the sampling, which takes place in an uncontaminated area of ​​the Sardinian sea with optimal characteristics for the quality of the sea water, to the bottling.

“Our Marentìa – explains Leopoldo Casti, CEO of Abba Blu – is a product designed primarily for medium-high level Ho.Re.Ca and is aimed at chefs and lovers of cooking, passionate about good genuine food, with a predisposition for all that is natural. It is a perfect product for any type of preparation, from appetizers to desserts, also excellent for bread and pizza doughs".

And if you too want to bring the sea to the table, with a touch of novelty to amaze your guests, here is Chiara Murra's recipe from Spaghettone with beetroot cream, cooked in sea water, and cave-aged caciocavallo, where the distinctive signs of the cuisine of the Salento chef are captured.

Chiara Murra chef

Method

Clean and cut the beets, which must be red.

Make a base with extra virgin olive oil and white onion. Lightly sauté the beets, add ground black pepper and plenty of fresh mint leaves.

Prepare a cold beetroot extract, mix the extract with sea water in this proportion: 1 part extract and 2 parts sea water. Cook until the beets are just soft. Blend with a mixer or immersion blender, sift with a fine mesh sieve.

Prepare the fondue by reducing the cream and black peppercorns over a very low heat, stirring frequently with a whisk. This operation will require some patience. Once the cream is reduced, that is, halved, it must be filtered. Add the caciocavallo seasoned in the cave, grated by hand. Blend everything with an immersion blender, until you obtain a creamy and velvety consistency.

Cook the spaghettone in a mix of sea water and natural water in the following proportion: 1 part sea water; 3 parts of plain water. Skip the spaghettone with the beetroot cream.

Presentation:

Lay the fondue on the bottom of the plate and finally create a nest of spaghetti. The dish is ready and needs to be mixed before being tasted.

Casa tu Martinu restaurant

Via Corse 95
Taviano (Lecce) – Italy

+39 388 1891283
iinfo@acasatumartinu.com

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