Tagliatelle with squid ink with pecorino, mussels, and lard

To prepare squid ink tagliolini with pecorino, mussels, and lard, start with the fresh pasta: crack the eggs into a bowl and add the squid ink 1, then whisk with a fork to combine 2. Pour this mixture into a bowl where you have mixed all-purpose flour and durum wheat semolina 3.

Incorporate the squid ink mixture, first working with a fork and then with your hands 4 until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough 5. Wrap it in plastic wrap 6 and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

After the resting time, divide the dough into two parts to make it easier to work with 7. Using a rolling pin or a pasta machine, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/32 inch, then cut sheets about 8 inches long 8 and dust with semolina 9.

Roll the sheets from the short side 10 and cut the rolls into strips about 1/4 inch wide 11. Unroll the squid ink tagliatelle 12.

Place them on a tray dusted with semolina 13 and store in the fridge until ready to use. Move on to the lard paste: place the lard slices in a mixer 14 and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Then add the grated orange zest 15.

Blend again for a minute until you have a homogeneous mixture 16. Transfer everything to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap in contact, and set aside at room temperature. Now focus on How to Clean and Open Mussels: scrape the shell with the back of a knife blade or a scrubber to remove all external impurities. Pull the beard from each mussel 17, then rinse thoroughly under running water. In a pot, heat a generous amount of oil, then add the mussels 18.

Deglaze with white wine 19 and let all the alcohol evaporate. Cover the pot with a lid 20 and cook for about 3 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally. When the mussels have opened, drain them 21.

Shell the mollusks 22 and collect them in a bowl. Strain the mussels' cooking liquid 23 and set aside 34.

Finally, prepare the pecorino cream: pour the cream into a saucepan 25 and bring it almost to a boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated Pecorino Romano 26. Stir vigorously with a whisk until completely melted. Pass the cream through a sieve to make it smoother and more homogeneous 27.

At this point, pour a ladle of the mussels' cooking liquid into a large pan 28, then add a spoonful of lard paste 29. Melt the lard over low heat, then add the mussels 30 and cook for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes 31. Drain and transfer the tagliatelle to the pan with the sauce 32. Toss everything to combine, then turn off the heat and stir in another spoonful of lard paste 33.

If necessary, adjust the creaminess by adding a little more mussels' cooking water 34, then mix well 35. Plate the squid ink tagliatelle 36.

Add the shelled mussels 37 and finish with the pecorino cream 38. The squid ink tagliatelle with pecorino, mussels, and lard are ready to be served 39!