Black Pasta

Black pasta or in culinary language " Calamari Ink Pasta" is one of those dishes that never disappears from memory after been tasted. This dish has to be relished and not just eaten. Frequently I was visiting the French Riviera and had a stop at the Louis XV, top chef Alain Ducasse restaurant in Monaco, or at Bruno Oger at the Villa des Ly the restaurant of the Majestic Hotel in Cannes. In both places I was seduced by the Black Pasta dishes, and always it was a supreme moment of culinary delight. Black pasta has somehow the same subtle touch and mystery as the colour black can evocate in arts and fashion. Black pasta is an emotion!

Basicaly making black pasta is not difficult, and it stands naturally only by the use of high quality ingredients. We need pasta , calamari, prawns, octupus and sea shells, gently served with a dab of oil from very ripe olives and a nice white wine... That's it! The Italian simplicity par exellence. But in the hands of great chefs like Alain Ducasse, Bruno Oger or Nadia Santini, it becomes pure miracle.

Being always in my memory as a latent picture, I was still looking for "The Black Pasta" and unfortunately I didn't find. Most of time it was just uneatable, bad and in the best case a small ok, often mediocre stomach filling and far away from a real culinary experience. I was ready to keep the black pasta in memory and to consider it, as a "souvenir d'epoque". Until one day, I had dinner in a restaurant in Tel Aviv. The menu presented Black pasta and immediately, all souvenirs came back. I ordered Black Taggliatelle served with calamari, mussels and ... Yes it was The Art of black pasta, perfectly cooked, full harmony in flavours and this incredible sense of ocean sensations composed by chef Eyal on a "belle assiette".

This culinary experience happened in Bistro Tchernichovski, Tchernichovski Street... I do not remember if it was in France, Italy or ..., no!, it was defenately in Tel Aviv.