25 SOUTH PARTITION STREET
SAUGERTIES, NY 12477
(845) 247-0700
OWNER: THOMAS STRUZZIERI; EXECUTIVE CHEF: GIUSEPPE NAPOLI
While the Ulster town of Saugerties has deep roots in counter-cultural bohemianism, it also has a tradition of aristocratic horsiness. Every year, the town hosts a summer-long event, Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS), an extensive competition that draws equestrians from all over the country. Happily, the luxurious rooms and baths of the Diamond Mills Hotel offer a cushioned break from the sweat, mud, and rigors of the ring. Each of this boutique hotel’s rooms affords a view of pretty Esopus Falls, which, at night, are dramatically spot-lit.
In The Tavern, the hotel restaurant overseen by CIA-trained Chef Giuseppe Napoli, you’ll find sophisticated takes on classic American fare. Look for local, Hudson Valley cheeses; rustic charcuterie; and innovative dishes like this open-faced lobster ravioli with black trumpets, fava beans, pancetta, smoked paprika, and tarragon, included below.
(SERVES 4)
For the lobster:
4 (1¼-pound) Maine lobsters
For the lobster stock:
Lobster shells from 4 lobsters (see above)
6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
2 coarsely chopped tomatoes
12 dried black peppercorns
½ gallon cold water
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs
3 parsley sprigs
3 ounces carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 ounces leek, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 lemons (juiced)
3 ounces celery, rinsed and chopped
For the pasta:
2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Corn meal, for dusting
3 large eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For finishing the dish:
Lobster stock
3 ounces diced pancetta
4 ounces cleaned black trumpet mushrooms
6 ounces fresh shelled fava beans
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 ounces heavy cream
10 large leaves tarragon roughly chopped
2 pinches kosher salt
2 pinches ground white pepper
To cook the lobsters: Remove bands and any barnacles. In a large pot big enough to stack all four lobsters, place a steamer. Set out a large bowl of ice water. Steam for 4 minutes and shock in ice water. When lobsters are cooled, remove from ice water and shuck. Save the shells and try to keep meat as whole as possible. Be sure to remove the sand tract and cartilage. Rinse the body and meat until free of greenish tomalley. Set aside.
To make the stock: In a heavy bottomed saucepan placed over medium-high heat, melt 1 ounce of butter. When butter starts to brown, add the tomatoes, lobster shells, and peppercorns. Stir frequently as the sediments will tend to coat the bottom of the pan. When sediments start to brown and shells are very aromatic, deglaze the pan with ½ gallon of cold water. Scrape bottom of pan with a spoon to lift up sediments. Add bay leaf, thyme, parsley, carrot, leek, lemon juice and celery; bring to a low simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups. Strain and press through a fine mesh china cap. Set the liquid aside and discard solids.
To make the pasta: Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape into a mound and make a well in the center. To the well, add 3 eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually add the flour from the inside wall into the mixture using one hand to hold the fork and the other to maintain the outer wall. Continue to incorporate the flour until the mixture forms a ball. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Cut the ball of dough in two, and wrap each ball in plastic. Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through the rollers again, 2 or 3 more times. Continue tightening the rollers until the machine is at the narrowest setting; the dough should be paper-thin, about ⅛” thick. You should be able to see your hand through it. Dust the sheets of dough with flour, as needed.
Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour and lay out the long sheet of pasta; with a 4.5-inch round cutter, cut pasta. Dust the pasta rounds and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking. Lay each sheet out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.
When the ravioli are all finished, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; the sheets will float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the pasta from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Follow plating directions below.
To finish the dish: Bring the lobster stock to a simmer in separate pot. Heat heavy bottomed sauté pan, add remaining butter and pancetta, and cook until the pancetta is crisp. When crisp, add mushrooms and sauté slightly, then add fava beans and smoked paprika. Sauté for one minute and then add the hot lobster stock. Bring to a simmer and reduce the sauce to the desired consistency, then add heavy cream. Simmer until warmed through. Add tarragon and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
To plate: For each serving, place pasta sheet flat in the bottom of a wide, warm pasta bowl. Arrange lobster in the center of pasta (lobster tail, 2 claws and 2 knuckles per plate). Ladle sauce over lobster and allow to pool in the bottom of bowl. Add another sheet of pasta and slightly fold back and serve.
