September 20, 2010 10:23 am

Dish of the Day: Tiella's Nera

Whenever I see a pasta dish offered with scallops I usually pass. So when I saw Tiella's intriguing dish, fittingly call the "Nera," which translates to "black" in English, I had my doubts. Eating a black dish doesn't seem too appealing to me (unless its an Oreo dirt cookie cake, of course). But why not take a risk?

Luckily, the risk was an epic (or should I say epicurean?) success. Thick fettuccine pasta flavored with squid ink served as tasty, fragile walls that held together a sea swarming with flavor. Between the noodle walls lay a mix of cuttle fish, scallops and chanterelle mushrooms. A cuttle fish amateur, I found this cross between squid and octopus a new addition to my seafood favorites. This savory dish that bursts with the freshness of the Mediterranean Sea will remain at Tiella until mid-fall season, so hurry in and try it for yourself. Black on the outside, but revealing a rainbow of color in my mouth, I will never again judge a pasta by its cover.

Technique: Cuttlefish are found mostly in Mediterranean and Asian dishes. When cooking them at home, grill large ones over a very hot fire for a few minutes, or use them for stir fry dishes.


Tiella
1109 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10065
212.588.0100

Photo credit: Benvenuti PR

— Written by Joanna Weinstein

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Tags : Tiella, Nera, Scallops, Pasta, Cuttlefish, Squid Ink, Joanna Weinstein

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