Pier-Angelini (Dedicated to Fulvio Pierangelini) | Massimiliano Alajmo

Ingredients for 4 Servings

For the Chickpea Milk

• 50g dry chickpeas
• 500ml cold natural mineral water

For the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sauce

• 185g chickpea milk
• 2.5ml lemon juice
• 25ml mild extra virgin olive oil
• A pinch of star anise powder
• 1.5g salt
• 2 sprays of star anise essence (In.gredienti)
• 4ml natural mineral water

For the Red Shrimp

• 24 peeled red shrimp tails
• Mild extra virgin olive oil as needed
• Salt as needed

For the Puffed Extruded Corn

• 90g extruded corn
• 25ml mild extra virgin olive oil

For the Chickpea Puree Meatballs

• 80g soaked dry chickpeas
• 80ml natural mineral water
• 1g fresh chili pepper
• 2g salt
• 15ml garlic and rosemary oil
• 1 spray of star anise essence (In.gredienti)
• A grind of Sarawak black pepper
• Puffed extruded corn as needed

Other Ingredients for Finishing the Dish

• 32 small desalted capers
• Cooking oil from the shrimp
• 4 sprays of star anise essence (In.gredienti)
• Sarawak black pepper as needed

Method

For Chickpea Milk

Soak chickpeas for 10 hours, rinse well and drain. Microwave for 8 minutes.
Blend hot with 500g of natural mineral water to obtain milk. Boil at 100°C (212°F) for 5 minutes, then freeze at -20°C (-4°F) in a Pacojet® glass and process.

For Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sauce

Microwave 45 grams of chickpea milk until it reduces to a cream.
Emulsify the chickpea milk with the remaining ingredients, adding the essence and water last.

For Red Shrimp

Sear shrimp tails in a pan with hot oil for a few seconds to keep them just pink.
Salt and reserve the cooking oil.

For Puffed Extruded Corn

Mix the extruded corn and oil by hand in a bowl until well combined. Place in a glass jar and vacuum seal. Remove any metal closure hooks from the jar, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 2 minutes at maximum power, shaking the jar every 20 seconds to prevent sticking.
Spread the mixture on a tray lined with paper towels to cool. Salt and store in a vacuum.

For Chickpea Puree Meatballs

Cook the chickpeas in water in a covered earthenware pot until tender. Drain, blend, add chili, salt, garlic and rosemary oil, star anise essence, black pepper, and a little cooking water to achieve a fairly dense consistency.
Place the hot puree in a pastry bag and form small meatballs directly onto the puffed corn, previously spread on a tray. Roll them until completely covered.

Finishing the dish

Pour 50 grams of room temperature olive oil sauce into a warm bowl; arrange 6 warm shrimp tails and 7 small chickpea puree meatballs.
Garnish with 8 capers, drizzle with a little oil, spray with star anise essence, and grind a little black pepper on top.

Massimiliano Alajmopic by Sophie Delauw
The photo of the dish is by Sergio Coimbra.