Morels, salsify purée, beetroot sponge, squid crackers

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This morel mushroom recipe from Giuseppe di Iorio resembles an abstract work of culinary delight, with morels piped with salsify purée, a beetroot sponge, squid ink crackers making up just a few of the colourful, creative elements in this starter.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Morels

  • 32 dried morels
  • olive oil
  • salt

Beetroot sponge

Pressed potatoes

Black salsify purée

  • 150g of black salsify
  • 500g of milk
  • salt
  • pepper

Wild garlic purée

  • 200g of wild garlic
  • vegetable stock, as needed (a few splashes should do)

Squid crackers

To serve

Equipment

  • Microwave
  • Plastic cups 4
  • Hand blender
  • Siphon bottle or cream whipper
  • N2O cartridge 2
  • Blender
  • Piping bags

Method

1
To begin, make the sponge mix. Add the eggs, almond flour, 00 flour and beetroot juice to a bowl and blend with a hand blender
2
Pour the mixture into a siphon with 2 N2O charges and allow to rest for 14 minutes
3
Use the mixture to fill 4 microwavable plastic or paper cups and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Set aside until ready to serve
4
Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 2
5
Peel each potato and finely slice on a mandoline. Place in a bowl and mix with the thyme and butter so that everything is well-coated
6
Layer the potatoes in a small buttered baking dish and cook in the oven for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Allow to cool, then place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours
7
Wash and peel the black salsify, then simmer in the milk for 30 minutes
  • 500g of milk
  • 150g of black salsify
8
Blend the salsify until smooth, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a piping bag or squeezy bottle
  • pepper
  • salt
9
Rehydrate the morels in hot water for a few minutes, then drain and quickly sauté in a pan in a dash of oil. Season with salt and pipe some salsify purée into each morel
  • salt
  • 32 dried morels
  • olive oil
10
Blanch the wild garlic in salted boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and blend with a little vegetable stock to make a thin purée
  • vegetable stock, as needed (a few splashes should do)
  • 200g of wild garlic
11
To make the squid crackers, mix together the flour, water, ink and a little salt in a bowl until smooth. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with the oil and ladle in a thin layer of the mixture, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until crisp then drain on kitchen paper
12
Carefully cut the set potatoes into 2cm cubes. Add a dash of oil to a hot frying pan and cook the potatoes on the top and bottom sides until golden
13
Tear each beetroot sponge into 5 even pieces
14
To plate, brush a square of the wild garlic purée on the centre of each plate and pipe dots of the salsify purée. Place 8 morels on each plate, then add pieces of the beetroot sponge. Add 3 pieces of the potato, shards of squid cracker, and garnish with chervil, edible flowers and alfalfa sprouts

Working in the centre of Rome overlooking the Colosseum, Giuseppe di Iorio's food is just as breath-taking as the view from the restaurant's dining room.

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