For 70 years it has been synonymous with the charm and bien vivre of the Amalfi Coast. Le Sirenuse, the boutique hotelhe which the Sersale family obtained in 1951 from the ancient family summer residence on the bay of Positano has always been the constant destination of the greats of the world who appreciate the charm of its terraces overlooking on the scenographic crib of arabesque houses of Positano and on the islands of Li Galli, inhabited, according to legend by the Sirens of Ulysses who bewitched the sailors in transit, causing them to be shipwrecked against the rocks, which in 1924 became the private residence of the legendary Russian choreographer Leonide Massine who entrusted the archistar Le Corbusier the task of building an original villa then passed in 1989 a Rudolf Nuriev.
Le Sirenuse hotel of great prestige has kept its charm between ancient and modern intact over time from the refined antique furnishings to the Spa designed by Gae Aulenti. Here the great stopped John Steinbeck, the author of Furore and the Eden Valley from which the film was taken that launched James Dean as a youth icon of the twentieth century and then was a succession of actors, industrialists, nobles, men of letters, artists, from Cary Grant, to Burt Lancaster, from Francis Ford Coppola to the two 007s Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, from Roberto Murolo to Sting, from King of Belgium to the King of Malaysia, from Naomi Campbell to Pink Floyd.
In the hotel restaurant, La Sponda, conquer it chef Gennaro Russo, which offers a cuisine linked to the great raw material of the territory and based on creativity and lightness that are reflected in the romantic atmosphere that is recreated every evening thanks to the lighting of 400 candles.
Gennaro Russo, one Michelin star originally from Somma Vesuviana, he arrived in La Sponda at the age of just 29, after having learned from the great Alfonso Iaccarino of Sant'Agata on the two gulfs, the starred father of all the starred cuisines of Southern Italy and after passing fromOsteria Francescana by Massimo Bottura in Modena, first restaurant in the world in the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2016 and 2018 and a long period spent in two Parisian starred restaurants those of the legendary Alain Ducasse, where he reaches the rank of head of party, and Bernard Pacaud, from whom he learns the art of pastry.
This week's recipe is a Risotto of cooked and raw scampi with porcini mushrooms, a dynamic relationship between sea and land of great seduction for the side dish aromas in line with the Chef's culinary philosophy of a cuisine that respects the territory and traditions conceived as a real gastronomic journey, between flavors and aromas in the Neapolitan repertoire with reinterpretations of cooking classics.
The recipe: Risotto with cooked and raw scampi and porcini mushrooms
(recipe for 4 people)
Ingredients:
360 grams of Carnaroli rice
12 medium scampi
500 gr of porcini mushrooms
80 g butter
25 gr of Parmesan
2 medium onions
2 ribs of celery
2 carrots
4 cloves of garlic
2 copper tomatoes
10 grams of thyme
2 bunches of basil
Oil, salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
as a first step, peel the scampi keeping the heads, then clean the porcini mushrooms by removing the first skin and wash them gently and quickly in cold water. Let them dry, then cut the ends to use for the broth and keep the whole heart aside to brown it later.
For the broth,
toast the scampi heads with a drizzle of oil and once composted add the ends of the mushrooms. Sauté well over medium heat and then add ice to cover or cold water.
As soon as it comes to the boil, skim off the foam, where necessary, and add the onions, celery, carrots and copper tomatoes. Leave to simmer for about 2 hours.
Once the broth is ready, filter through a chinoise, put the basil in to infuse and keep warm.
We proceed with the roasting of the rice over a low heat and without fat until the proof of roasting has taken place, i.e. the rice is very hot to the touch that it is impossible to take it with the bare hands.
Add oil and deglaze with the stock kept warm, adding a little at a time until the rice is cooked after about 10/15 minutes, stir in cold butter and Parmesan, in the meantime brown the porcini mushrooms in a non-stick pan and in the same brown the scampi, after having removed the mushrooms. Also remove the scampi, pour over the broth and reduce until you get a very thick sauce.
For the raw scampi,
simply make a tartar and season it with oil, salt, pepper and thyme.
Plating,
place the hot risotto on a flat plate, add the cooked scampi, the raw ones, the porcini mushrooms and the previously obtained sauce.
