Spaghetti alla Bottarga Della Zia Milla
While waiting for the gang to arrive and before putting heels on, stack plates and forks on the kitchen counter, then fill a tall pot with 4 quarts/4 L of...
"Aunt Milla's Spaghetti with Bottarga"
by Viola Buitoni from Italy by Ingredient
Serves 6
Ingredients
4-ounce/115 gram piece of mullet bottarga1 lemon
1/2 cup/10 grams loosely packed parsley leaves
1 garlic clove
Black pepper or red chili flakes
1/3 cup/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finsihing
Salt
1 pound of spaghetti
Directions
A couple of hours before dinner, shave the bottarga paper-thin and spread it in a shallow serving bowl in one layer. Grate 2 teaspoons zest from the lemon, then squeeze 2 teaspoons juice. Sprinkle the juice all over the bottarga, then scatter the zest.
Chop the parsley leaves finely and dust them on the bottarga slices.
Smash the garlic clove with the side of a chef's knife, then slide it out of its skin. Toss it into the serving bowl. Season with pepper to suit your palate. Drown the bottarga in the olive oil and go and get all shellacked for your guests.
While waiting for the gang to arrive and before putting heels on, stack plates and forks on the kitchen counter, then fill a tall pot with 4 quarts/4 L of water and set it on the stove.
While the aperitif glasses are clinking and the laughter is reverberating across the living room into the kitchen, turn the heat on under the pot to bring the water to a boil. While the water heats, join the living room fun.
By the time you visit the kitchen again for gin-and-tonic refills, the water will be boiling. Season it with 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, drop in the spaghetti, stir, and cover the pot. Set a time for 1 minute shy of the suggested cooking time. Refill the glasses and remove the lid from the pot, since the water is now back to a boil. Adjust the heat so the water is at a lively, but not rolling, boil.
When the timer goes off, motion everyone to follow you into the kitchen.Move the spaghetti out of the water with tongs and lead them straight into the bottarga bowl while they are still steaming hot.
Toss and swirl with glee while your guests are getting a plate. If the spaghetti seems a little dry, loosen the strands with a spoonful or two of the pasta cooking water.
Stack yarns of spaghetti onto the plates of your friends, leaving the friend you like best for last--the bottom of the pasta bowl always has the most sauce.
No need for wine. A gin and tonic works wonderfully with spaghetti alla bottarga.