CookEat Recipe
Zuppa di Gamberi with Beef Jus
A finely sieved shrimp and bread soup enriched with slowly browned beef jus and served over toasted bread.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 150 g whole shell-on shrimp, as a modern interpretation of gamberi; About 1.25 litres ready-to-use broth, including about 250 ml for the shrimp; 30 g soft white bread crumb for thickening; 10 g butter for frying the crumb; 100 g white bread for serving; Finely grated Parmesan to serve; For the beef jus: 500 g stewing beef, cut into small pieces; 40 g pancetta; 1 large onion; 1 carrot; 1 celery stalk; 20 g butter; 2 cloves; salt to taste; about 1.65 litres water, used in stages.
Step 2
Make the jus first. Thinly slice the pancetta and use it to cover the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Add the sliced onion, carrot and celery, distribute the 20 g butter over them and lay the beef on top. Add the cloves and a little salt. Heat without stirring at first, allowing the bottom to brown deeply.
Step 3
Turn the beef when the underside is well browned and brown the other side. Aim for dark brown, without burning to black ash. Add about 50 ml cold water, loosen the browned cooking residue and let it reduce almost dry. Repeat twice more with about 50 ml cold water each time.
Step 4
Add the remaining 1.5 litres hot water and simmer very gently for 5–6 hours. Add small amounts of water if necessary to prevent scorching. Strain, pressing out the juices, and skim the fat. A practical yield is roughly 500–700 ml rich jus; use about 200 ml for this soup. Cool the remainder promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate for 2–3 days or freeze. The cooked beef can be served separately.
Step 5
Rinse the shrimp briefly under cold water without splashing, drain and simmer in the 250 ml broth until fully cooked, with the flesh reaching 74°C. Lift out. Peel, remove the intestinal tract and reserve the flesh. Return the shells to the cooking liquid, crush lightly with a spoon and simmer for about 5 minutes to extract flavour, then strain very finely and discard every shell fragment.
Step 6
Fry the 30 g crumb in the 10 g butter and soak it in the strained shrimp broth. Pound the cooked shrimp flesh finely with the soaked crumb, then press through a fine sieve, moistening with the reserved liquid. The finished purée must contain no gritty shell pieces.
Step 7
Combine the shrimp purée with the 200 ml beef jus, then gradually stir in the remaining broth. Heat to at least 74°C and a full boil, stirring until evenly blended. Toast the serving bread in slices or cubes, place in a tureen and pour the soup over it. Serve with Parmesan separately. For the source’s fried-bread alternative, fry the serving cubes in a little olive oil or fresh lard instead of toasting.
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