A tribute to the classic “ricotta and spinach” dish, served in a mother-of-pearl shell. The chef reinterprets this classic with miniature tortellini tossed in the golden hue of yellow cherry tomatoes, where the intensity of the blue cheese challenges the briny flavor of the shellfish. Rounding out this culinary composition is the absolute freshness of oyster tartare and the tart, lingering note of a red tomato sauce.

Photo of the dish by Alessandro Barattelli

Yellow Dough

1 kg semolina
550 g egg yolks
65 g egg whites

Knead all ingredients together and let the dough rest, vacuum-sealed and spread out flat, overnight. Roll out to a thickness of about 0.5 mm and cut into 1-cm squares. Seal them with the tip of your little finger to form tiny tortellini.

Ricotta and Spinach Filling

250 g sheep’s milk ricotta
80 g gorgonzola
80 g cooked spinach

Place the ricotta, gorgonzola, and cooked, drained spinach into the blender jar, then blend until the mixture is uniform but not too smooth, so that the various ingredients are still distinguishable.

Oysters

4 Oysters

Blanch the oysters one by one for 60 seconds and cool them immediately to firm up the meat and achieve a more intense bite. Cut each oyster into 6 pieces.

Tomato Coulis

500 g cherry tomatoes
Basil

Peel the cherry tomatoes and pass them through a food mill; the resulting coulis should be infused with a bit of basil and seasoned with oil and salt.

Cherry Tomato Glaze

500 g cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic

Use the skins and seeds saved from making the coulis to prepare the glaze. Start by sautéing the garlic, then add the seeds and skins over low heat. Pour in water and simmer for about half an hour, then strain and reduce until you obtain a glaze, which will be used to coat the tortellini.