Sweetbread? Yes, but Michelin-starred: Andrea Pasqualucci's fried sweetbread transforms this popular dish into a fine dining creation. Curious to find out how he prepares it?

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the sweetbreads

400 g veal sweetbreads
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
15 g fresh ginger, sliced
5 g black peppercorns
2 lemon slices
1 clove garlic
Flour, as needed
Egg (for breading)
Breadcrumbs (coarsely ground)
Clarified butter (for frying)
Fresh lavender

For the cacciatora sauce

1 l veal stock
20 g rosemary needles
8 anchovies in oil or desalted
10 cloves of garlic
70 g white wine vinegar

For the modern bagna cauda

300 g salted butter
300 g unsalted butter (cold)
15 garlic cloves (with the core removed)
6 anchovies
4 walnuts
10 g soy sauce
Milk (for blanching the garlic)

For the side dish

1 bunch agretti (barba di frate)
Extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste.

Method

1. Sweetbreads (vacuum-packed)

Rinse the sweetbreads thoroughly under cold running water.
Place them in a vacuum-sealed bag together with coriander, ginger, pepper, lemon, and garlic.
Steam (or cook in a Roner) at 60°C for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Once cooked, remove them and gently clean off the outer skin.
Dry them well and proceed with the classic breading: first dip them in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally in coarse breadcrumbs.

2. Cacciatora sauce

In a saucepan, sauté the sliced garlic with a drizzle of oil.
Add the anchovies and rosemary, allowing them to cook until the anchovies melt.
Add the white vinegar and allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Add the veal stock and allow to reduce/simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer and keep warm.

3. Bagna Cauda with butter

Blanching: Place the garlic in cold milk, bring to a boil, drain, and repeat the process 5 times (always starting with cold milk) to soften the flavor.
Place the salted butter, anchovies, walnuts, blanched garlic, and soy sauce in a vacuum-sealed bag.
Steam at 65°C for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Blend the mixture (ideally in a Thermomix) gradually adding the cold unsalted butter to emulsify.
Pass through a chinoise (conical strainer) for a silky texture.

4. Agretti

Blanch the agretti in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes.
Drain immediately in ice water to set the color.
Dry well and season with oil and salt just before serving.

5. Finishing and plating

In a pan, melt the clarified butter with the fresh lavender and fry the sweetbreads until golden and crispy.
Leave them to rest for 3 minutes on paper towels, cut them into 3 pieces and season with salt.
Composition: Pour the bagna cauda and cacciatora sauce onto the bottom of the plate. Place the fried sweetbreads on top and finish with a nest of agretti.

Chef's note: It is essential to let the sweetbread rest after frying to allow the juices to redistribute, keeping the inside soft in contrast to the crispy outside.