Kelp Spaghetti alla Chitarra

SAVORY

Aug 13

Miso Butter Dashi, Hijiki Pickles, Pork Floss, Breadcrumbs, Preserved Lemon, Nori, Uni

Chef Valerie Goldman of The Honey Paw | Portland, ME

“This dish includes a few rich and creamy elements like, uni, miso, and kelp butter. We add a pickled sea vegetable, hijiki, to bring some acidity and brightness to the dish. We like to pickle the hijiki in a soy and Sherry Vinegar mixture. The Sherry Vinegar from Spain brings a mellow, aged quality, and when paired with the complex, fermented flavors of the soy sauce, a lot of umami.” - Chef Valerie Goldman

INGREDIENTS

Preserved Lemon:
2½ pounds lemons
128 grams kosher salt
80 grams sugar

Smoked Pork Belly:
Yield: 1 quart
Pork belly
Kosher salt
Sugar
Vegetable cure
Ground black pepper

Kelp Noodles:
Yield: 6 servings
350 grams 00 flour
9 grams kelp powder
220 grams whole eggs, whisked

Dashi:
Yield: 1 quart
30 grams kombu
30 grams katsuobushi

Smoked Pork Stock:
Yield: 2 quarts
½ cup mirin
3 shallots, peeled and sliced
3 knobs ginger, peeled and sliced
2 heads garlic, trimmed and halved
12 trimmed scallion ends

Hijiki Pickle:
Yield: 2 quarts
4 cups dried hijiki
1 quart soy sauce
1 quart Jerez Vinegar PDO
4 cups white sugar

Miso Butter:
Yield: 1 quart
1 pound butter, softened
1 cup white miso
3 tablespoons kelp powder

Chile Oil:
Yield: 1 cup
1¼ cups canola oil
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
4 tablespoons lemon drop chile, dried, toasted, and ground
4 tablespoons aji rico, dried, toasted and ground

Breadcrumbs:
Yield: 1 cup
4 cups cubed stale bread
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Nori Dust:
Yield: ½ cup
10 ounces nori

To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
¼ cup uni, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon toasted and ground sansho pepper

METHOD

For the Preserved Lemon:
On a work surface, cut each lemon in half lengthwise, stopping ½-inch from the bottom. Rotate the lemon 90 degrees and make a similar cut perpendicular to the first. Place all cut lemons in a large mixing bowl and toss with sugar and salt. Transfer to a vacuum bag and seal. Store at room temperature for at least 3 weeks.

For the Smoked Pork Belly:
Weigh pork. On a work surface, rub pork with 2 percent salt, 1 percent sugar, .25 percent vegetable cure, and .5 percent black pepper by weight of the pork. Refrigerate 10 days. Once cured, gently rinse pork. Hang pork in a dry-aging chamber for at least 24 hours. The next day, prepare a smoker to 100°F. Smoke pork 1 hour. Increase heat to 120°F and smoke an additional hour. Increase heat to 140°F and smoke an additional hour. Increase heat to 180°F and smoke until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 155°F. Let rest.

For the Pork Floss:
Prepare, chill, and assemble a meat grinder with a medium die. Grind 5 pounds Smoked Pork Belly. Transfer pork to a large, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Cook pork until all fat has rendered. Strain, reserving pork fat and meat separately. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.

For the Kelp Noodles:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour and kelp powder. Transfer mixture to a work surface and form a well in the center. Add eggs to the well, and using a fork, slowly incorporate wet and dry ingredients. Knead 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and bouncy. Let dough rest 30 minutes. Using a sheeter, roll out dough to the second thickness. Cut out dough into a chitarra shape. Separate pasta into 2¾-ounce portions. Freeze for up to 2 days before using.

For the Dashi:
In a nonreactive container, submerge kombu in 1 quart water. Let sit 4 hours. Transfer mixture to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until mixture reaches 180°F. Stir in katsuobushi, then remove from heat. Let sit 1 hour. Strain and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate.

For the Smoked Pork Stock:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté ½ pound diced Smoked Pork Belly for 5 minutes. Add mirin and continue cooking 2 minutes, or until liquid has slightly reduced. Add shallots, ginger, and garlic. Cook additional 2 minutes. Cover with 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat. Add scallion ends and let steep 15 minutes. Strain, reserving stock and pork separately. Let cool.

For the Hijiki Pickle:
Place hijiki in a nonreactive container. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, bring soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 1 cup water to a boil. Pour mixture over hijiki. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate.

For the Miso Butter:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix all ingredients until well combined. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

For the Chile Oil:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring all ingredients to a simmer. Remove from heat and let steep 1 hour. Strain and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

For the Breadcrumbs:
Heat oven to 350°F. Place bread on a sheet tray and bake 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy. In a food processor, coarsely chop bread. Weigh. In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté breadcrumbs with equal parts reserved pork fat and Chile Oil. Let cool. Toss with lemon zest and set aside.

For the Nori Dust:
In a sauté pan over medium heat, gently toast nori. Transfer to a Vitamix blender and blend until a fine powder is achieved. Sift, discarding any large pieces. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add Pork Floss. Fry until crispy and dried out. Set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook Kelp Noodles until just al dente. Drain, reserving pasta water, and set aside. In a sauté pan over medium heat, combine ½ cup Dashi, ¼ cup Smoked Pork Stock, 2 tablespoons Miso Butter, Hijiki Pickles, uni, and sancho pepper. Add Kelp Noodles to pan and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water if needed to loosen sauce. Transfer noodles to a serving plate. Top with desired amount of Breadcrumbs and Pork Floss. Garnish with julienned Preserved Lemon slices, additional uni, and a sprinkle of Nori Dust.

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