The old way of cooking is just following the rules. In 2000, thanks to new chefs, things started to evolve little by little. In the 1980s, the same chefs cooked the same food – bourgeois – very classical. Jean-François Piège is the last of his generation that cooked in the classical way. Before, chefs cooked the same recipe, and used the same produce all year long. There was no change. Piège says, “Now, you don’t have to do the same thing. Do what you want to do. I like tradition and modernity.”
In 2004, Piège opened his own restaurant from 2004-2009 and started a food revolution. “Before we were full of rules. Now, we just want to break it.” Alas, came the dish that everyone wanted to try Carbonara Squid which costs 10€ at his restaurant.
Ingredients
- Squid – Use the biggest squid – it’s more tender than using a smaller piece.
- Olive Oil
- Smoked bacon, sliced thin
- 2 2-inch pieces of lardo
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- chives
- water, or lemon juice
- 4 tbsp cream
- 1 egg
- Fromage Blanc with Agar
Directions
- Start with a cool pan. Pour olive oil and add bacon. Wait for the caramelization. Make sure the pan doesn’t get too hot. Drain on a paper towel, and pour the fat too.
- In the same pan, add 2 pieces of bacon, cut into 2 inch pieces.
- Add 2 tbsp of water to deglaze the pan, or lemon juice. Don’t use wine – that’s the old way.
- Add 4 tbsp of cream. You want an infusion of garlic and lardo with the cream. Stir. Cover, and remove from heat.
- Grab a small bowl. Oil the bowl and add the egg yolk (separated from the white).
- Cut the squid into thin pieces. The squid will be the spaghetti.
- In a pan, sauté the squid in a little bit of olive oil within 10 seconds, or else it will get overcooked and too rubbery. As an alternative, you can briefly cook the squid in the oven.
- At the last moment, take the squid off the heat and place it on a hot plate. Add the strained pork and garlic infusion.
- Top with chives and pepper. Do not add salt.
- Finally, add the grated cheese, like Parmigiano Reggiano and top with the egg yolk.
Tips
- Cooking bacon in a hot pan is the wrong way to cook bacon. Always start with a cool pan.
- In this dish, the fromage blanc with agar replaces the egg white
