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Courgette, cured egg yolk & anchovy bucatini.

15 min     I     Serves 2

This dish marries anchovies and salt-cured egg yolks in cheerful, umami-dappled matrimony; the first bite of which leaves no doubt as to the longevity of this pair’s partnership. There’s something awfully romantic about curing one’s own egg yolks too; anxiously committing to a blind leap of faith that promises impending eggy alchemy, a salt-based prenuptial agreement that you must pledge to the bowl of pasta that awaits. The earthiness of courgette joins slightly sweet shallots as they caramelise into a deep, salty sauce that is perfectly trapped by hollow tubes of bucatini. Here, cured egg yolks bring a depth far superior to any cheese (although an aged parmesan would make a more than decent substitution if you’re short on time).​

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Serving suggestion: in the presence of someone you’d like to intimidate, sleep with, or both.

Ingredients

 

For the cured egg yolks

2 egg yolks

500g fine salt, preferably sea salt

100g sugar

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For the pasta

1 tin anchovies and their oil

Glug of very good quality extra virgin olive oil

160g bucatini

2 medium courgettes (about 300g)

2 shallots, finely sliced

3 cloves confit garlic 

1/2 lemon, juice & zest

Good hunk of parmesan, about 50g

 

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Notes

 

Consider scaling up the number of egg yolks you’re prepping as they keep for up to a month once fully dried and curing can be a relatively lengthy process. These make for a lovely garnish in a wide array of dishes; think of them as you would parmesan and let your imagination run wild.

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When curing your yolks, feel free to add other aromatics such as bay leave s, orange rind, black peppercorns, fennel seeds etc.

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Don't waste those whites! Here's a recipe for individual pavlovas.

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Whilst you want most of your courgette to keep its shape and bite, the beauty of this recipe is that some of your veg will collapse and form the body of the sauce itself. To encourage this, add a splash of your reserved pasta water to help steam the courgette.

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tags:       under 20 minutes             pasta                     mains               dinner

Method

  1. Begin at least a day before you plan to serve this dish by curing the egg yolks. Combine your salt and sugar.

  2. Choose a container large enough to space your egg yolks with a 5cm gap between. Fill with a layer of your salt and sugar mix. Using the back of a spoon, make yolk-size indents in your cure and gently place separated egg yolks in each burrow. Cover with the remainder of the salt mix and set aside in the fridge for at least 24 hours, or up to a week.

  3. When you’re ready to use, preheat your oven to its lowest temperature, rinse the now wrinkly and jammy-looking egg yolks under cold water. Pat dry and place on an oven safe cooling rack in the centre of your oven. Leave to dry out and harden for 1-2 hours.

  4. Slice your courgettes – you want them to be thin enough to begin to collapse into your pasta as they cook, but not so thin that they’ll disappear completely into mush.

  5. Preheat a stainless-steel pan over a medium flame. Add your tinned anchovies and oil, and stir until the fish begins to disintegrate into itself. Add the confit garlic cloves and stir to encourage them to break up a bit. 

  6. Add your shallots and sweat for about five minutes.

  7. Meanwhile, fill a large pan with water. Salt, bring to the boil, and add your bucatini.

  8. Add the courgette to the shallots, stirring to make sure it is coated in your oils. Gently cook for about 7 minutes. As the courgette cooks, you want the liquids it releases to combine with the anchovy oil and create an unctuous, cohesive sauce. Be sure to not overcook your courgette. A good bite is desirable.

  9. When your pasta is cooked to your liking, use tongs to spoon it directly into your courgette pan. Always reserve your pasta water until your dish is complete and plated, you never know when you might need an extra splash.

  10. Finally grate in your parmesan and mix to emulsify. Season to taste sparingly with sea salt (I like smoked here). Finish with your lemon zest and juice.

  11. To serve, finely grate over lots of your cured egg yolk, add a crack of black pepper, and tear over some fresh basil.

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