07-04-2013

There’s a couscous under my pasta

Eugenio Boer’s recipe (for 100 people!) celebrates the meeting of two cultures. Both Mediterranean

Abbraccio (hug): Raviolo filled with couscous with red prawns from Mazzara on a traditional Trapani-style couscous by Eugenio Boer, chef at Enocratia in Milan. This dish is among the courses of the evening entirely dedicated to couscous which will animate Erba Brusca in Milan, on Tuesday 16th April

The Italian peninsula is geographically placed in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s been a crossroads of trades since ancient times, a cradle in which cultures, history and the fusion of flavours and culinary traditions could blend. This unique characteristic has made it possible for couscous to be, in Italy, a dish that would match together totally local flavours with traditions from abroad. This recipe wants to be a tribute to this heritage. It encloses couscous inside a symbol of Italy, namely pasta.

INGREDIENTS
for the fresh egg pasta

550 g "00" flour
50 g semolina flour
4 eggs for yellow pasta (pasta gialla)
4 egg yolks
salt to taste

Boer's cous cous in a picture taken at Cous Cous Fest 2012

for the couscous
110 Sicilian Red Prawns of L3 size
1,000 g fine couscous
1,000 g medium couscous
200 g butter
10 San Marzano tomatoes
1 garlic clove
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

for the stock
300 g red scorpion fish
300 g sea bass
300 g Peter’s fish
300 g bogue
300 g tub gurnard
200 g scallion
200 g carrots
200 g celery
200 g chickpeas
1,000 g courgettes
1,000 g potatoes
2 rosemary sprigs
4 bay leaves
6 cloves
1 bunch of basil
1 bunch of thyme
1 bunch of coriander

Eugenio Boer

METHOD
Prepare the couscous in the traditional way, gradually adding the water to the medium and fine couscous (this procedure is called “incocciare”). One part of the couscous will then be seasoned in the traditional Trapani-style; the other, which will be used as filling, will be seasoned with the bisque prepared with the heads of the previously cleaned prawns which will then also be used to fill the raviolo. As for the raviolo, place a teaspoon of couscous seasoned with the bisque in the centre of a disc. The pasta should be thin, the discs should have a diameter of 6-7 cm. Place the raw prawn all around and then close the raviolo in the traditional way, by dampening its borders with some water.

FINISHING
In order to compose the dish, pour a spoon of traditional couscous as a base for the raviolo, then pour the fish stock in which the ravioli were cooked on the bottom of the dish. Finish by putting the raviolo on top of the couscous.