The creator of this pasta is the very charismatic chef and restaurant owner, Guy Grossi from The Merchant (amongst many others) in Melbourne. He is a chef, restaurant owner, media personality and very involved in many of the food industry events. I had the pleasure of being introduced to him (actually, I introduced myself) at the Australia Day Ball in New York. It was brief but very nice to meet a man with so much passion and vibrancy.
Mr Grossi’s recipes are inspired by his Italian heritage, his love for extracting the flavours from exceptional produce and his desire to share his philosophy on food and the culture that comes with it.
This pasta is a little taste of the Grossi experience. He has taken Venetian Bigoli and mixed it with radicchio and crab. It is a fairly simple dish with the bright and bitter flavours of the radicchio being mellowed in the cooking process. The sweet crab meat is its perfect pairing and together they create a beautiful synergy. Mr Grossi never fails to impress and in his pursuit of gastronimic excellence, has created another earthy taste sensation.
Ingredients
40 grams/1.4 ounces butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
230 grams/8 ounces radicchio, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
100 grams/3.5 ounces uncooked crabmeat
600 grams/1.3 pounds dried Venetian bigoli (see note)
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender (4 minutes). Increase heat to medium, add radicchio and chilli and sauté, tossing to cook evenly, until wilted (5 minutes). Partially cover pan and continue to cook, tossing frequently and replacing lid, until tender (5-10 minutes). Toss through crab, cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (2-3 minutes). Drain, reserving 60ml pasta water, then return pasta and reserved water to pan with radicchio mixture and parsley, toss well, season to taste and serve hot.
Notes: Dried Venetian bigoli is made from semolina or wholemeal flour and butter as well as eggs, if unavailable substitute another long pasta.
Source: Guy Grossi, The Merchant, Melbourne
Here are a few pictures from Chef Grossi’s web site (www.grossi.com.au), in addition to his food, I also love the fact that he is slightly mad so funny.
© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.
