Spaghettone di Gragnano with “pomodoro in bianco” (tomato in white), yellow datterino cream, and basil pearls | Marco Del Sorbo

Ingredients for 4

For the tomato water

• 500 g Sorrento tomatoes
• 500 g fiascone tomatoes
• 500 g datterini tomatoes
• 1 stalk celery
• 10 basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt to taste

For the yellow datterino cream

• 500 g yellow datterini tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste

For the basil pearls

• 1 bunch of basil
• Agar agar to taste
• 1 liter of seed oil

Procedure

For the tomato water

Chop all the tomatoes, the celery stalk, and the garlic into small pieces, season generously with salt but not excessively, and finally add the basil leaves.

Mix everything together and place in the fridge for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, strain the tomatoes through a sterile gauze or linen cloth.

Leave to drain for another 24 hours. Collect the water that will be at the bottom of the container and set aside.

For the yellow datterino cream

Pour a drizzle of oil into a pan with a clove of garlic, brown and add the chopped datterini tomatoes, add salt and cook for about 10 minutes, then blend with a hand blender and strain through a sieve to remove seeds and skins.

For the basil pearls

Put a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.

Clean the bunch of basil and wash the leaves well.

Cook the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes and quickly transfer them to ice water to maintain their bright green color.

Then blend the basil with a blender, adding a few drops of cold water to make it liquid.

Once you have obtained the basil cream, add 1 g of agar agar per 100 g of product and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, place the seed oil in a tall, narrow container in the refrigerator to cool.

Take a syringe without a needle, draw up the basil cream and drip it into the cold oil. When the drops touch the bottom of the container, they will have become perfect pearls.

Pass them through a sieve and rinse with cold water.

Dish composition

Cook the pasta in plenty of water, fry the garlic and oil in a pan and add the tomato water. Heat the yellow tomato cream separately.

When the pasta is half cooked, drain it and continue cooking it in the pan in the tomato water.

The pasta will release its starch and absorb all the flavor of the tomato water. Stir in a sprinkling of Parmigiano and a drizzle of raw oil.

Place the yellow tomato cream on the bottom of the plate, then roll the spaghetti in the center and finish the dish with the basil pearls.