The skillful cooking of black lentils in fish broth gives the legume new nuances. The appearance, on the other hand, plays on the affinity between the vegetable product and caviar. Iside de Cesare surprises with an amuse-bouche that, in addition to tempting the palate, makes you reflect on the potential of the ingredient.

Photo of the chef by Andrea Di Lorenzo

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes
250 g cream
250 g water
Smoke powder
Vinegar to taste
4 lemons (juice and zest)
Salt
Black lentils, preferably from Norzia
Fish bones to make a lake fish broth

Procedure

Boil the lemon zest in lightly salted water and, once soft, blend it: this will produce a compote to be used as a finishing touch.

Make a lake fish broth and cook the black lentils in it until the liquid is absorbed; they should be left “al dente.”

Peel and boil the diced potatoes in lightly salted water, or directly in the lake fish broth. Mash them and put 500 g in a blender. Add the heated cream and water and blend. Season to taste with vinegar, lemon juice, and smoked powder. Put in a piping bag and leave to cool.

Place the lemon compote, potato cream, and lentils in a caviar container.