Recipe by Alfonso Iaccarino: Onion Veils Cooked Under Ashes with Shrimps, Lardo d'Irpinia, and Olives
Ingredients for 12 Servings
For the Onion Crisp
- 400 g of white onions
- 100 g of Carnaroli rice
- 100 g of purple potatoes
- 1 liter of water
- Fine salt
For the Shrimp Crisp
- 300 g of shrimp carcasses with heads
- 2 dl of water
- 100 g of Carnaroli rice
For the Parsley Sauce
- 100 g of parsley leaves
For the Crispy Onion Veils
- 100 g of white onion
For the Onions
- 1.8 kg of white onions (12 onions, 150 g each)
- 1.5 kg of coarse salt
- 400 g of ash
- 600 g of small shrimps
- 70 g of chopped black olives
For Finishing the Dish
- 160 g of lard
- 100 g of parsley sauce
- 12 pieces of fried parsley leaves
- 12 pieces of onion crisp
- 12 pieces of shrimp crisp
- 12 pieces of crispy onion veils
Method
For the Onion Crisp
Coarsely chop the peeled potatoes and onions. Cook with a liter of water and rice for about 40 minutes. Blend and strain, adjust the salt, and spread on silpat sheets. Bake at 60°C (140°F) for about 3 hours. Once dry, cut into triangles and store in a dry place.
For the Shrimp Crisp
Sauté the shrimp carcasses and heads with oil, add rice and cover with water. Boil and cook for about 40 minutes. Blend, strain, and spread on silpat sheets. Dry in the oven at 60°C (140°F) for 3 hours, then coarsely grind and store in a dry place.
For the Parsley Sauce
Cook the parsley leaves in water, cool, blend, and strain.
For the Crispy Onion Veils
Remove the transparent skin between onion layers. Fry the veils at 130°C (266°F) for a few seconds and dry at 50°C (122°F) in a static oven.
For the Onions
Cook onions in the oven covered with salt and ash for about 1.5 hours at 180°C (356°F). Cool, hollow out, and stuff with seasoned shrimps and black olives. Bake at 180°C (356°F) for a couple of minutes.
For Finishing the Dish
Place a stuffed onion on each plate, top with lard, onion crisp, and a fried parsley leaf. Arrange crispy onion veils in the center, add parsley sauce at the top left, and sprinkle with shrimp crisp.
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Alfonso Iaccarino photo by Lido Vannucchi
