Luca Lazzari
Sous Chef
The first days of October on the Ligurian Sea, and it is still summer! We saw people sunbathing and swimming in the blue waters, with temperatures up to 30 °C (85 °Fahrenheit). It is a bit unusual, according to the locals, but for Gabriella and me it’s glorious weather!
As always, this quick tour of ours has been essentially centered on my gluttony and Gabriella’s photos… This time, the main target was our favorite place in Liguria: a small, unsophisticated restaurant on Savona’s (relatively) new marina: the “Cù de Beù”. We choose one of the tables outside, overlooking the yachts and a gigantic Costa ocean cruiser. During the years, we have tried practically every dish the owner has declaimed to us (no printed menu, here), and he has ALWAYS delivered the highest quality and the best food, from pasta to fish, from meat to dessert.
No “antipasti” this time, because the pasta dishes are usually very generous here. We started with two pasta courses: spaghetti with fresh anchovies and trofie with shrimps and zucchini. Then we ordered a fillet of ricciola (Greater Amberjack, according to Wikipedia…) with potatoes and a “Buridda” for me, which is a sort of fish stew, prepared with cuttlefish in this case.
Everything was absolutely superb, I love this place, I love the off-hand owner, and I love the kitchen wizardry of the place…
And I love you, friends, so I propose to you a Buridda recipe with cuttlefish only; I hope it’s similar to the one served by the Cù da Beù, but I didn’t ask for the recipe, I don’t like to reveal precious secrets like this… Maybe next time!
4 servings: 1 kg cuttlefish | 1 baguette | 20 g dried mushrooms | 1 onion | Parsley | 2 garlic cloves | 750 ml fish (or vegetable) stock | Extra virgin olive oil | 2 salted anchovies | 2 big tomatoes | 1 cup white dry wine | salt and pepper
Clean and wash the cuttlefish and cut it into stripes. Soften the mushrooms in warm water. Finely dice onion and parsley. Clean and wash the anchovies. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and chop them. Skin the garlic cloves, do not dice or crush them. Mince onion and parsley. Cut the mushrooms in coarse pieces. Prepare the warm stock.
Put the oil in a pan over low heat, then add the garlic and remove it when it gets brown, before it burns. Add the minced onion and parsley. Add the anchovies and the mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes, and then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add the hot stock and cook for another 10 minutes then add the cuttlefish and cook for 30/40 minutes, or until you think it’s ready. Cut at an angle some slices of baguette and put them inside the soup before serving.
Buon appetito!
As always, this quick tour of ours has been essentially centered on my gluttony and Gabriella’s photos… This time, the main target was our favorite place in Liguria: a small, unsophisticated restaurant on Savona’s (relatively) new marina: the “Cù de Beù”. We choose one of the tables outside, overlooking the yachts and a gigantic Costa ocean cruiser. During the years, we have tried practically every dish the owner has declaimed to us (no printed menu, here), and he has ALWAYS delivered the highest quality and the best food, from pasta to fish, from meat to dessert.
No “antipasti” this time, because the pasta dishes are usually very generous here. We started with two pasta courses: spaghetti with fresh anchovies and trofie with shrimps and zucchini. Then we ordered a fillet of ricciola (Greater Amberjack, according to Wikipedia…) with potatoes and a “Buridda” for me, which is a sort of fish stew, prepared with cuttlefish in this case.
Everything was absolutely superb, I love this place, I love the off-hand owner, and I love the kitchen wizardry of the place…
And I love you, friends, so I propose to you a Buridda recipe with cuttlefish only; I hope it’s similar to the one served by the Cù da Beù, but I didn’t ask for the recipe, I don’t like to reveal precious secrets like this… Maybe next time!
4 servings: 1 kg cuttlefish | 1 baguette | 20 g dried mushrooms | 1 onion | Parsley | 2 garlic cloves | 750 ml fish (or vegetable) stock | Extra virgin olive oil | 2 salted anchovies | 2 big tomatoes | 1 cup white dry wine | salt and pepper
Clean and wash the cuttlefish and cut it into stripes. Soften the mushrooms in warm water. Finely dice onion and parsley. Clean and wash the anchovies. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and chop them. Skin the garlic cloves, do not dice or crush them. Mince onion and parsley. Cut the mushrooms in coarse pieces. Prepare the warm stock.
Put the oil in a pan over low heat, then add the garlic and remove it when it gets brown, before it burns. Add the minced onion and parsley. Add the anchovies and the mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes, and then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add the hot stock and cook for another 10 minutes then add the cuttlefish and cook for 30/40 minutes, or until you think it’s ready. Cut at an angle some slices of baguette and put them inside the soup before serving.
Buon appetito!
Bravo, nice shots!
