Trieste cuttlefish, chamomile and parsley

2017-07-12 “Trieste cuttlefish, chamomile and parsley” is a simple summer dish with a modern twist, like its creator: Antonia Klugmann, the award-winning chef at “L’Argine” restaurant in Vencò (Gorizia).
Born in Trieste, with a mixed ethnic background (her surname is Jewish), Antonia was voted best chef of the year by Guida dei Ristoranti d’Italia, the restaurant guidebook published by L’Espresso in 2017. And though she is only 38, she will be a judge in the seventh edition of MasterChef Italia, the talent show broadcast on Sky.
Here are the ingredients for four portions of this creative and easily prepared main course featuring the unusual combination of flowers with seafood:
• 4 small cuttlefish;

• 12 chamomile flowers;

• 12 parsley leaves; 

• 10 fresh-cut wedges of lemon, peeled;

• 1 decilitre extra virgin olive oil; 

• salt.
Preparing the cuttlefish:
• Remove ink, skin and guts.
• Dress with salt and olive oil. 

• Cook in a very hot iron frying pan for a few seconds on each side. 

• Dress lemon wedges with olive oil and salt. 

• Sauté them briefly in a hot cast iron frying pan. 

• Cut each cuttlefish into three strips.
And now for the last step in the recipe, presentation and the finishing touches.
• Place three strips of cuttlefish parallel on the plate. 

• Place a chamomile flower, a leaf of parsley and a bit of lemon wedge at the end of each strip. 

• Drizzle with olive oil.

Mariagrazia Villa

Recipe: chef Antonia Klugman (“L’argine”, Vencò, Gorizia) Source: Luciano Tona, Arturo Delle Donne, Andrea Sinigaglia (a cura di), Gusto Italiano. Cucina contemporanea dei maestri Alma, Edizioni Plan, Milano, 2012
Photograph: Arturo Delle Donne