AVOCADO, SHRIMPS & POLENTA SALAD WITH QUAIL EGGS
INGREDIENTS
(SERVES 4) 20 shrimps; 150g baby potatoes; 150g purple potatoes; 100g extra fine beans; 100g baby plum tomatoes; 60g pitted black olives; 30g small capers; 1 frisee lettuce; 1 pomegranate; 1 bunch of radicchio; 2 oranges; 20ml olive oil; 1 sprig of dill; 1 avocado; 8 quail eggs
For the polenta: 65g Polenta Valsugana; 250ml water; salt
For the dressing:
150ml extra virgin olive oil; 100 ml lemon juice; 1 tsp English mustard; 20g honey; salt and pepper
For the avocado mousse: 3 avocados; juice of 1 lemon; Tabasco; Worcestershire sauce; 15g chives; salt
METHOD
1. Prepare the polenta by bringing water to the boil, add few pinches of salt and stir in the polenta flour. Mix energetically to avoid lumps and let cook for the time indicated on the package. Adjust with salt and transfer on a sheet of baking parchment. Cover with another sheet of paper and flatten it down as thin as possible with the help of a rolling pin.
2. Place between two flat baking trays and bake at 170°C for about 40 minutes leaving the door slightly open to let the steam out. Remove from the baking paper and keep in a dry place.
3. In a bowl add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and mustard. Whisk until combined and adjust with salt and pepper. Boil both potatoes separately and let cool. In another pot of boiling water cook the quail eggs for two and a half minutes and cool down in iced water and peel.
4. In salted boiling water blanche the fine beans and cool in iced water. Drain and leave on the side for later. Remove the shell and the gut from the shrimps, transfer in a bowl and marinate with the olive oil and the dill. Wash the salad and radicchio and dry on a kitchen towel. Halve the tomatoes. Peel the oranges from both orange and white skin and remove all the segments.
5. In a blender put the avocados, lemon juice, few drops of each Tabasco and Worcester, chopped chives and season with salt. Blend until smooth and transfer into a piping bag. Heat a pan and cook the shrimps seasoning with salt and freshly milled pepper.
6. In a bowl add the potatoes, tomatoes, fine beans, capers, black olives and the avocado diced. Season with the lemon dressing and split in four serving plates and add salad and dollops of the avocado mousse.