When we talk about our Josper Oven we think of the embers, charcoal cooking, and perfectly grilled meat or vegetables. But we can cook so much more with a Josper! Seafood, rice, foie gras, mushrooms— every day we get images via Twitter or Facebook of incredible dishes cooked in the Josper oven, and are surprised by their diversity and originality.
That’s why today we’re presenting this fantastic recipe by Francesco Mazzei: malloreddus with clams. It is a pasta dish using fresh pasta cooked in the Josper grill, with the simplicity and authenticity of Italian cuisine. Francesco Mazzei, from Calabria, is the chef at L’Anima in London, considered one of the best Italian restaurants in the country.
Francesco is into pure Italian cuisine, which he himself defines as “the cuisine of the mamma with a chef’s touch— that was the idea behind L’Anima”. And in this traditional way of cooking he finds the JOSPER oven “a great machine” because it does not use gas, nor electricity— it is a charcoal oven.
Like any good Italian, Francesco bases his dishes on the quality of the ingredients. The best clams, the best tomatoes, the best fresh herbs. He is always looking for that authentic taste of food. Here he prepares us a simple pasta dish in the Josper oven with the following ingredients:
Recipe for Josper-style fresh pasta with clams
“Malloreddus” pasta:
4 cups semolina flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground saffron
100 g de pasta
Extra virgen olive oil
Garlic
Fresh basil
5 cherry tomatoes cut in half
Fresh chili
15 fresh clams
White wine
Bottarga
Here is the video for Francesco Mazzei’s recipe:
Mientras se cocinan los tomates cherry con el ajo, la albahaca, el chile fresco y las almejas en una cazuela dentro del horno, Francesco hierve los malloreddus, listos cuando ya flotan.
Agrega la pasta hervida a la cazuela, con un poco de vino blanco, y todos los ingredientes adquieren juntos el sabor de la brasa. Finalmente, añade al plato un poco más de albahaca y la botarga rallada por encima, y listo. Delicioso, auténtico… ¡espectacular!