Pasta Fatta in Casa con Salsa di Canolicchio, Olio al Caffè e Pimpinella

Pasta fatta in casa con salsa di canolicchio, olio al caffè e pimpinella is a signature dish at Hiša Franko in Kobarid, Slovenia, the acclaimed restaurant of chef Ana Roš. The dish exemplifies Roš’s philosophy of transforming local, often overlooked ingredients into refined, surprising compositions. "Canolicchio" refers to the mantis shrimp, a crustacean prized in the Adriatic for its sweet, delicate meat. The pasta is made fresh in-house, providing a tender, egg-rich foundation. The sauce is built from the mantis shrimp, whose shells are typically used to create a deeply concentrated, briny broth. The dish’s most distinctive element is the coffee oil—a technique where coffee infuses oil, lending a subtle, roasted bitterness that contrasts with the sweetness of the seafood. Pimpinella, also known as salad burnet, adds a fresh, cucumber-like note to finish. What distinguishes a great version is the balance: the coffee must not overpower the delicate shrimp, and the pasta must be cooked perfectly al dente to hold the sauce. While this specific combination is unique to Hiša Franko, variations of pasta with mantis shrimp appear along the Italian and Slovenian coasts, often with tomato or simple garlic and oil. Roš’s version, however, stands out for its avant-garde pairing of coffee and crustacean, a hallmark of her creative, terroir-driven cooking.