This Squid Ink pasta dish deserves a spot in the pasta hall of fame with its hand-rolled black noodles, tuna prosciutto meatballs, and cheese.
Courtesy of Supply and Demand in Ottawa, Ontario.
ingredients
Tomato Sauce
Tuna and Prosciutto Meatballs
Lobster Stock
Assembly
directions
Cook onion, carrot and celery in an ample amount of olive oil over low heat until it starts to caramelize, approximately 1 hour. Then add garlic and cook thoroughly.
Add milled can of San Marzano tomatoes. Rinse the can out with water. Simmer tomatoes over low heat for approximately 1 hour. Season with salt and a pinch of dried pepperoncini. Reserve for later.
Whisk together eggs, olive oil and milk. Then add the breadcrumbs and allow to hydrate while you assemble the other ingredients.
Sweat onions in a pan until completely soft or until all moisture is gone, but not browned. Add garlic to the onions and cook through. Set aside to cool.
Add Parmigiano, parsley, pepperoncini and lemon zest to the bread mixture. Then also add the onions and garlic to the bread mixture. Allow this to sit overnight so the bread crumbs can completely hydrate.
Once the wet mixture has sat overnight, pour this over the ground tuna and prosciutto. Mix thoroughly so there are no pockets of just meat. The mixture will feel soft. Return to the fridge and allow to firm up for at least 4 hours.
Shape into small meatballs and allow them to firm up in the fridge again.
Sear meatballs over high heat using canola oil. Space the out evenly in an oven-proof baking dish that’s big enough to hold the tomato sauce also.
Once all the meatballs are seared, pour hot tomato sauce over the meatballs and cook covered at 300ºF for 30 minutes.
Place lobster shells in a large pot and cover with water by about 6 inches. Add can of tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add all other ingredients. Allow to simmer for 1 hour, and then strain. Set aside for assembly.
Set a large pot of water on to boil and season with salt.
Place the shaved garlic in a cold pan with lots of olive oil and cook over low heat until garlic browns lightly. Stop garlic from browning by adding the white wine, then reduce wine slightly. Add lobster stock, meatballs with tomato sauce and bird’s eye chili. Bring to a simmer.
Boil squid ink pasta until ¾ cooked, then add to the sauce to finish cooking. Season to taste with desired amounts of salt and black pepper. Toss in torn mint leaves at the end.
Plate and top with fried breadcrumbs.