Authors: Francine Segan

Pasta Modern (27 page)

FOR THE DOUGH:

About 4 ¼ cups (545 g) all-purpose or “0” flour

3 large eggs

Make the dough:
Put the flour into a bowl, make a well in the center, and beat the eggs and ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water in the well. Slowly incorporate the flour into the egg mixture, adding a little more water if needed, until a dough forms. Knead the dough until it is very smooth. Form it into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough into a ⅛-inch (3-mm) sheet, either with a pasta maker or with a rolling pin. Using a cookie or ravioli cutter or a very sharp knife, cut the pasta sheets into 3-inch (7.5-cm) squares. Put 1 teaspoon filling in the center of each square and fold it diagonally to make a triangle, pressing the edges closed, then pinch the sealed sides to make three pleats (one at the point, and one on each side). Spread the triangles out onto a clean cotton cloth in a single layer.

Boil the tortelli in plenty of salted water until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Toss them with the remaining 4 tablespoons (60 g) butter and serve topped with cheese.

NEAPOLITAN CARNEVALE LASAGNE

{
Lasagne di Carnevale Napoletana
}

SERVES
8
|
REGION:
Campania, especially Naples

Rich ricotta lasagne layered with tiny meatballs, plus all sorts of optional extras like salami, sausage, and even sliced boiled eggs—this dish is the unofficial symbol of
Carnevale
. Very lush and elaborate, it requires time and patience to prepare, beginning with the classic Neapolitan ragù, which must be cooked slowly over low heat. Locals call the method
pippiare
—an onomatopoetic word that hints at the sound of the sauce barely simmering, as one tiny bubble pops at a time.

I love the instructions the Neapolitans give to let the lasagne “rest and reflect” for half an hour before serving. All the layers settle and you end up with gorgeous slices!

FOR THE RAGÙ:

Olive oil

12 ounces (340 g) boneless pork loin, cut into 3 large chunks

4 lean pork ribs

2 sweet sausages

1 yellow onion, minced

1 cup (240 ml) red wine, preferably from the Alianico grape, a specialty of Campania

1 (28-ounce/800-g) can strained tomatoes, such as Pomi or Alice Nero brands

1 (6-ounce/170-g) can tomato paste

4 to 5 large fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the ragù:
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the pork, ribs, and sausages and brown them on all sides. Add the onion and sauté it for 5 minutes, then add ¼ cup (60 ml) of the wine. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the wine is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Add another ¼ cup (60 ml) of the wine and let it absorb; repeat, adding ¼ cup (60 ml) wine every 40 minutes or so until all the wine is absorbed and the meat is tender, about 2 hours more. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer on very low heat, covered, for 2 more hours, stirring occasionally and adding hot water if needed. When the ragù is thick and flavorful, remove the meats to serve separately at another time.

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed

8 ounces (225 g) ground beef or pork

1 large egg

Grated Parmesan cheese

Peanut or sunflower oil

Make the meatballs:
Wet the bread with a little water, squeeze out the excess, and put the bread in a bowl with the beef, egg, 2 heaping tablespoons Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until combined. Form tiny hazelnut-sized meatballs, about ½ inch (12 mm) in diameter.

In a small saucepan, heat 2 inches (5 cm) oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs a few at a time, and fry until they are golden, about 1 minute. Drain on a paper towel–lined plate.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1 ½ pounds (680 g) ricotta cheese

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

1 pound (455 g) flat (non-curly) lasagne sheets, preferably Garofalo brand

1 sausage, cooked and sliced, optional

8 ounces (225 g) thinly sliced salami, optional

3 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced, optional

About 1 cup (115 g) grated Parmesan cheese

12 ounces (340 g) mozzarella, cut into small cubes

To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix the ricotta with 1 cup (240 ml) of the ragù and the basil.

Boil the lasagne sheets in salted water until they are al dente. Drain and spread onto clean cotton dishcloths to cool and to prevent sticking.

For layer #1: spread ½ inch (12 mm) of ragù on the bottom of a deep-sided 14-inch (35.5-cm) lasagne baking pan and top with a layer of noodles. Dollop with half of the ricotta mixture and scatter with half of the meatballs and half of the sausage, salami, and eggs, if using. Top with half of the mozzarella, generous dollops of ragù, and 3 heaping tablespoons of the Parmesan.

For layer #2: add another layer of lasagne, dollop with the remaining ricotta mixture, and scatter with the remaining meatballs. Spread on a few ladlefuls of ragù, the remaining mozzarella, and the remaining sausage, salami, and eggs, if using. Top with 3 heaping tablespoons of the Parmesan and finish with a final layer of lasagne. Generously spread the top with ragù and 3 heaping tablespoons of the Parmesan.

Bake for 1 hour, finishing at 450°F (230°C) so the top browns at the edges. Let the lasagne rest for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve it topped with more ragù and with grated cheese on the side.

Serve the pork loin, ribs, and sausages from the ragù as a second course on another day.

LASAGNE AS STAR

There are many versions of this ragù in Naples. Lina Wertmuller’s 1990 film
Sabato, Domenica e Lunedì
starring Sophia Loren, is all about this Neapolitan sauce. The title refers to the fact that you buy the ingredients on Saturday, make the sauce on Sunday, and eat the leftovers on Monday. There’s a great scene where the customers in a butcher shop get so worked up discussing the ragù that a fight breaks out over which is the correct recipe.

CARNEVALE MACCHERONI WITH FIVE HOLES

{
Maccheroni con cinque buchi
}

SERVES
4
|
REGION:
Sicily, especially the Catania province

It just wouldn’t be
Carnevale
in Sicily without a plate of this decadently rich pork ragù served on
Martedí Grasso
, Fat Tuesday. The sauce is flavored with pork rind and, while that’s not essential, it
is
really sinfully delicious. Yes, it’s rich, but heck—it’s called Fat Tuesday for a reason!

This is traditionally served with short, fabulously thick pasta called
maccheroni con cinque buchi
, which has one large hole in the center and four smaller holes around it. It’s very toothsome and pretty, but if you can’t find it, you can of course substitute any pasta shape.

Olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely minced

4 country-style lean pork ribs

4 sausages

8 ounces (225 g) pork rind

½ cup (120 ml) dry red wine

1 (28-ounce/800-g) can tomato puree

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound (455 g)
maccheroni con cinque buchi
, preferably Poiatti brand, or any pasta

Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is golden and very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the ribs and whole sausages and brown them on all sides.

Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch the pork rind for a few minutes, then drain and cut into thick strips. Add the rind and wine to the meats and bring them to a low boil to burn off a bit of the alcohol. Stir in the tomato puree, tomato paste, and bay leaf and turn down the heat; simmer over very low heat, covered, for 3 hours. Season with salt and pepper.

Boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente and drain. As in Sicily, you can serve this one of two ways: with the pasta tossed with just the sauce as a first course and the meats served as a second course, or as a more substantial pasta course, with pieces of the meat cut into small pieces right on the same plate with the pasta and sauce. In either version, be sure to serve the pasta topped with lots of grated cheese.

CARNEVALE FOODS

All the foods for
Carnevale
are over-the-top rich—lots of fried specialties, lots of luscious fatty meats—because it is the last hurrah before Lent, a forty-day period when many foods, including meat, are traditionally restricted. The word
Carnevale
probably comes from the Latin “carnem levare,” to remove meat.

SICILIAN BAKED EASTER PASTA

{
Taganu d’Aragona
}

SERVES
6
to
8
|
REGION:
Sicily, especially Aragona

Aromatic cinnamon, saffron, cheese, and beaten eggs magically transform into the golden “crust” around this pie. Although it looks showy, it’s just a simple process of layering—not at all challenging to make.
Taganu
is a culinary specialty of Aragona, Sicily, and the name comes from the round terra-cotta container in which it’s customarily baked. It comes out great in a round cake pan, too.

The recipe dates to the Renaissance, when spices like cinnamon and saffron were reserved for special occasions. Over the years, the locals have followed history’s precedent and taken to eating it as part of celebratory meals, and it is most especially associated with Easter.