The very Italian tradition of pasta meets the refined use of typically Asian ingredients – especially fermented ones. It’s from this evocative combination of techniques, products and culinary philosophies that Japanese-flavored Penne al Gorgonzola was born, a dish that won Chef Keita Yuge the title of 2019 Pasta Master in Paris, taking home the gold medal of the eighth edition of the Barilla Pasta World Championship.
The competition saw 14 promising chefs of world cuisine face off in the kitchen with pan-fire and creativity in three tests inspired by this year’s theme, “The Art of Pasta.” The first challenge was to create “The Masterpiece,” a dish that was delicious, good for the body and intriguing to the eye, all at once. Good and beautiful in every sense. The eight semifinalists selected at the end of this elimination phase then continued with “The White Canvas,” a test in which they were asked to give free rein to their gastronomic imagination, creating a dish that combined well-being and innovation. Finally, the last test was that of the “Gran Finale,” with the three finalists who had recreate their debut masterpiece so as to impress the jury of international experts, composed of three high caliber chefs: Davide Oldani, Simone Zanoni (both Italians) and Amandine Chaignot from France, as well as photographer Ashley Alexander and designer Paola Navone.
In the end the prestigious award flew all the way to Japan. Keita Yuge – who has refined his talent in renowned restaurants such as Guy Savoy in Paris, Quinto Canto in Osaka and Salone 2007 in Yokohama – won the favor of the jurors by interpreting pasta according to the culinary dictates of his homeland. In particular, the Japanese component of the dish was guaranteed by an oyster sauce with the scent of “Sake, Sansho, Yuzu,” followed by the addition of Sake to the gorgonzola sauce. Then there was the slight, yet tasty tribute to koji, the hard-working mushroom that accounts for most of the fermentation at the base of so many products and ingredients in Asian cuisine.
“Sake is the most prevalent image these days of a Japanese table,” says the chef. “Among the raw ingredients, koji is perhaps the most important one in Japanese food culture, because without it you can’t make sake, miso, mirin, or soy sauce. So it’s become the symbol of Japanese cuisine, just like pasta has long been the symbol of Italian cuisine. That’s why I decided to use it in my dish for the Pasta World Championship and create the Penne al Gorgonzola of the future.” Let’s discover this curious gourmet recipe straddling the Belpaese and the Land of the Rising Sun.
Japanese-flavored Penne al Gorgonzola recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings
3 1/2 oz Barilla penne rigate
For the oyster sauce
8 oysters, 2 3/4 oz shallot, 1/3 oz prosciutto , Extra-virgin olive oil, 1/10 oz algae
Open the oysters and carefully keep their liquid in a bowl. Sieve and set aside. In a pot, cook the shallot in oil until it is caramelized. Add the prosciutto and algae. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the oysters and their liquid. Delicately cook for a couple more minutes. Using a blender, reduce it to the consistency of a sauce. Set aside.
For the gorgonzola sauce with Sake Junmai Ginjo
3 1/2 oz sweet gorgonzola, 1/4 cup milk, 2 3/4 tbsp cream, 2 3/4 tbsp Khouturu Junmai Ginjo sake, Organic flour
Cut the gorgonzola into large pieces and carefully sprinkle with a little flour. Pour the milk, cream and Junmai Ginjo sake into a large pot and cook over low heat. Add the gorgonzola to the mixture and cook until it is perfectly dissolved, creating a creamy sauce.
For the spinach puree
5 1/3 oz spinach (leaves only), 1/2 oz pancetta, 1/10 oz garlic
In a pot, sauté the pancetta with the garlic until it’s golden brown. Add the spinach and cook until tender. Remove the garlic and blend to obtain an even puree. Keep warm and set aside.
For the garnish
10 dried spinach leaves, 10 oyster grass leaves, yuzu powder and organic sansho, 10 walnuts, 10 browned oysters
For the pasta
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add salt, 1/4 oz per quart of water, and the penne. Cook al dente, then put them back into a large pan with the previously prepared oyster sauce. Mix the pasta.
Plating
Put the gorgonzola sauce in the middle of the dish. Add the penne. Decorate the pasta with the dried spinach leaves and oyster grass. Garnish with the spinach purée. Add the browned oysters. Sprinkle everything with yuzu and sansho powder and grated walnuts. Serve.