Red onion gnocchi with spicy nuances over a base of baby squid and sautéed garlic shoots

Ñoquis de cebolla roja con matices picantes sobre un fondo de chipirón y ajete s
Nerua
Chef: Josean Martinez Alija
Country: España
City: 48001 Bilbao(Vizcaya)
Address: Abandoibarra Etorbidea, 2 .
(+34) 944239333

Josean Martínez Alija possesses a creative capacity of universal acclaim. Over time he has managed to dictate a personal style all his own, defined by essence and immaculate flavors. He is one of the few chefs alive that can be identified by merely seeing his dishes, the way he constructs them, his use of minimalism and colors… always expressing extraordinary beauty. He has a privileged mind that allows him to conceive brilliant formulas that combine imagination and perfection. His work in 2007 deserves two Dish of the Year awards, not to mention other inspired and virtuous creations. If the grilled petits pois with egg yolk, onion and vanilla excite the senses through their artistic sublimation of the raw product, the red onion and cayenne gnocchi with baby squid broth and mini zucchini reach the zenith of intangible fantasy. Without the use of meat they produce an incredible sense of purity and substance. Gelatinous gnocchi enclose clean flavors, first of onion, then the flavor of the baby squid broth and, lastly, the tempered spice of the Cayenne pepper in the aftertaste. Elements swim in the concentrated, liquid broth that expresses the quintessence of the cephalopod and a few mini zucchini decorate the simple, reflective composition, of unsurpassable exquisiteness.



The Recipe



Ingredients

RED ONION STOCK

INGREDIENTS FOR 400 G:

  • 3.5 kg red onion
  • A dash of fine salt
  • A dash of sugar

RED ONION GNOCCHI

  • 250 g red onion stock
  • 38 g kuzu
  • 30 g Duque de Alba brandy
  • 1.5 Cayenne pepper

BABY SQUID BROTH for 1400 g and 850 g of clarified.

  • 500 g julienned baby onion
  • 2 kg fresh baby squid and its ink
  • 1000 g mussel juice

MUSSEL JUICE

  • Mussel juice for 860 g:

Ingredients:

  • 50 g butter
  • 6 shallots
  • a small amount of leek (green part), thyme and celery branches
  • 300 cl white wine
  • 350 cl water
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 kg mussels

VEGETABLE STOCK

Ingredients 5000 g:

  • 2 heads of garlic, split.
  • 1200 g carrots in thick rounds.
  • 700 g turnips in thick rounds.
  • 1200 g leeks in thick rounds.
  • 240 g parsnip in thick rounds.
  • 4 onions in thick rounds.
  • 14 spring onions, coarsely chopped.
  • 700 g white wine
  • 8 kg water.
  • 10 cl sunflower oil.
  • 1 bunch of parsley.

 

Method

RED ONION STOCK

Preparation: Peel the onion, season with the fine salt and the sugar and place in a Gastronorm. Bake at 110ºC for 5-6 hours to release all the juices.
Remove from the oven, strain the resulting broth well and pass through a fine sieve.

RED ONION GNOCCHI

PREPARATION:
Combine the red onion stock and the cold kuzu in a pot, dissolve, add the cayenne and reduce until it has an elastic and adequate consistency. Add the brandy at the very end and integrate it into the mixture by bringing it to a gentle boil. Adjust the salt. Drain, move to a pastry bag and leave to cool. When it is lukewarm, prepare the gnocchi.

BABY SQUID BROTH

PREPARATION
Sweat the baby onion in an induction pot, add the chopped baby squid, a dash of salt, cover and stew. Once stewed, uncover, add the mussel juice and cook for 20 minutes. Follow by straining through a fine sieve and clarifying. Adjust the seasoning and store in the walk in.

MUSSEL JUICE

For the mussel juice:
Sweat the shallot, the leek (green part), thyme and celery branches in butter for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and boil for 5 minutes without browning. Immediately add the mussels and water, a few generous turns from the peppermill, cover and boil for three minutes. Leave to set off heat for another three minutes covered (after this preparation we can use the shellfish for other dishes and the juices for the stock base).

VEGETABLE STOCK

PREPARATION:
Sweat the vegetables in a stewing pot for 10 minutes without browning.
DO NOT BROWN ANYTHING.
Add the white wine and reduce.
Cover with 8 kg of water.
Boil, skim and leave to cook over low heat for one and a half hours. Add parsley stalks. Leave to infuse, strain and store in the walk in.

GARLIC SHOOTS

Choose the youngest, smallest garlic shoots possible, clean and set aside (in their absence, substitute with onion).
Salt
Oil
Vegetable stock
Process: place a pan over the flame and when it is hot add a few drops of oil, followed by the garlic shoots and salt. Gently brown then add the vegetable stock and remove from heat.

FINISHING

Place the gnocchi (12 per serving) at the base of the plate, scatter the garlic shoots and finish with the baby squid broth.