RECEPIES
Pasticcio Ferrarese
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Short pasta, white meat sauce, béchamel sauce, mushrooms or, for the lucky ones, a generous grating of fragrant truffle.
It sounds like a description of a real pasticcio... and indeed it is! But the Pasticcio Ferrarese, which might seem like a dish with somewhat extreme combinations, is actually a real treasure chest of taste!
Pasticcio Ferrarese as we know it today originated in the 1700s, but seems to find its origins in the pastelle of Messisbugo, cook of the Este family. In the ducal courts it was customary to make recipes that favored the preservation of the ingredients used, and this explains the classic shortcrust pastry shell. The inclusion of macaroni could be explained by the influence of the cultural exchange that began with the marriage between Eleonora of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand I of Naples, and Ercole I d'Este in 1473.
Traditionally prepared at carnival time, this recipe from Ferrara cuisine will surprise you with a balanced juxtaposition of sweet and salty, soft and crunchy.
InFerrara's recipe
Tradition is not tradition if every family does not have its own recipe. This is ours.
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
450 gr flour
200 gr butter
100 gr sugar
4 egg yolks
grated lemon peel to taste
salt to taste
Meat sauce
150 g minced veal meat
150 g minced beef
150 g chicken breast, minced
150 g chicken giblets
half a glass of dry white wine
4 or 5 tablespoons marsala
50 g butter
olive oil to taste
chopped celery, onion and carrotsalt
Béchamel sauce
500 ml milk,
1 tablespoon flour
butter, a knob
nutmeg to taste
salt
Filling
25 g dried mushrooms
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
250 gr maccheroncini rigati
truffle
Procedure
First of all, you'll have to take your time! Making the "pasticcio" is a combination of several steps and preparations, all to be done with the right care.
Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry, which will make up the casket of this tasty dish. Work the ingredients quickly so that the dough doesn't get too hot, until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous ball, which you will then leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
In the meantime, start preparing the filling.
First prepare the white ragù by browning the chopped celery, carrot and onion and the different types of meat separately with butter and oil, seasoning with salt and finally with white wine and Marsala. Then boil the mushrooms with a knob of butter in lightly salted water. Then prepare the béchamel sauce, stirring the butter and flour steadily over a low heat, and then add the milk until it has reached the right density. Add salt and nutmeg to taste and let cool.
Finally, boil the maccheroncini, draining them while still very al dente.
At this point, you are ready to compose what will be the heart of the pasticcio: mix the maccheroncini with the béchamel sauce, mushrooms, meat sauce, grated Parmesan cheese and truffle shavings, stirring gently and carefully.
Then take the shortcrust pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured pastry board into two disks. With the first one, cover a buttered baking tin where you will lay the filling in the classic dome shape. With the second disc, cover everything by decorating and closing the edges with firm pressure. For a final touch, you can brush the dome with beaten egg yolk, then bake in the oven until the surface of the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve piping hot, cut into slices.
Now all you have to do is enjoy this treasure chest of taste, with its strong and contrasting flavors that make it a unique dish!
