Cod Tortellini in Consommé

STEP 1: MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH

Mound the 00 pasta flour, make a well and add the egg yolks, whole egg, olive oil and salt. Draw the flour in with a fork, then knead on an unfloured surface for a full 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, tight and elastic; it should spring back when pressed. A yolk-rich dough feels stiff and hydrates slowly, which is correct. Wrap tightly and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.

STEP 2: OPEN THE SHELLFISH AND CAPTURE THE LIQUOR

Discard any mussel or clam that stays open when tapped. Sweat the shallot, garlic and thyme in a little oil in a wide pan without colour, then add the wine and bring to the boil. Tip in the mussels and clams, clamp on the lid and cook over high heat, shaking once or twice, for 3 to 4 minutes. Lift the lid the moment the shells open and pull each one out as it goes, since overcooked shellfish turns rubbery. Pick the meat from most of the shells, keeping a dozen of each in the shell for the bowl, and chill the picked meat. Strain the cooking liquor through muslin, leaving the last gritty spoonful behind, and reserve it — this is the most valuable liquid in the recipe.

STEP 3: MAKE THE WHIPPED COD FARCE

Chill the blender bowl and blade. Dice the very cold cod and blitz to a paste with the egg white, then add the salt — weighed at 2% of the cod's weight — and blitz again, as salt is what makes the farce bind, so it goes in early. With the motor running, pour the ice-cold cream in a thin stream until the mixture is glossy and thick, stopping the moment it comes together so the emulsion does not warm and break. Pass through a fine drum sieve for absolute smoothness, then fold in the lemon zest and white pepper. Poach a teaspoon of the farce in barely simmering water for 2 minutes, cool it and taste: it should taste clearly of seasoned cod, not of cream. Adjust and re-test if needed, then chill in a piping bag.

STEP 4: MAKE THE TOMATO WATER

Start this early, as it needs at least 6 hours to drip. Roughly chop the tomatoes and blitz to a coarse pulp with the salt and basil, then leave for 20 minutes to draw. Line a large sieve with a double layer of muslin, tip in the pulp, gather the corners and tie, then hang the bundle over a deep bowl in the fridge and let it drip slowly for at least 6 hours or overnight. Do not squeeze, press or hurry it, as pressure pushes solids through and clouds the liquid. What collects below is a pale, clear, startlingly savoury tomato water; discard the pulp or keep it for a sauce.

STEP 5: BUILD THE CONSOMMÉ

Put the strained shellfish liquor into a small pan and reduce it hard, from about 180 ml down to 80 ml, until it is thick with mussel and clam, then cool it. Combine it with the clear tomato water only after clarification, never before, so none of that concentrated shellfish character is lost in the muslin. Warm gently to just below a simmer, since boiling will cloud it, then sharpen with the sherry vinegar and a squeeze of lemon and season carefully with salt, remembering that the shellfish liquor is already salty. Taste it against a spoonful of plain tomato water; the difference should be obvious. Keep warm.

STEP 6: ROLL, FILL AND SHAPE THE TORTELLINI

Roll the dough through the pasta machine down to the second-thinnest setting, thin enough that you can read print through it. Work with one sheet at a time and keep the rest covered, as a dried edge will not seal. Cut into 4 cm (1½ in) squares, pipe a hazelnut of cod farce into each centre, brush two edges with water and fold corner to corner into a triangle, pressing out every trace of air so the parcels do not burst. Bring the two base corners together around your fingertip and pinch firmly to seal, setting each on a semolina-dusted tray. Aim for 5 to 6 tortellini per portion.

STEP 7: COOK AND PLATE

Bring a wide pan of well-salted water to a bare simmer, as a rolling boil will tear the parcels. Poach the tortellini for 3 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the filling is just set, dropping in the samphire and the picked shellfish meat for the last 30 seconds simply to warm through. Lift everything out with a slotted spoon. Arrange 5 to 6 tortellini in each warmed shallow bowl with the mussels, clams and samphire around them, add a couple of shells for looks, and pour the hot consommé at the table. Finish with chives and a thread of olive oil, and serve at once.