Spiced Beef Pasta in Pastry Crust — Pasticcio di Maccheroni Ferrarese
A Renaissance-era Ferrarese baked pasta encased in a sweetened shortcrust pastry shell, filled with maccheroni in a beef ragù bound with béchamel and porcini, scented with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Italian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Rub 40g cold butter into 80g flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and pinch salt until breadcrumbs form. Add 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp ice water; knead into a smooth disc. Wrap and chill 20 minutes. Soak 8g porcini in 100ml warm water 20 minutes; lift out and chop finely, reserve liquid. Dice 30g pancetta, 1/2 onion, 1 small carrot. Cook 70g maccheroni in salted boiling water 8 minutes until 2 minutes under al dente; drain and rinse.
Saute
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add pancetta; cook 3 minutes until rendered. Add onion and carrot; cook 6 minutes until soft. Raise heat to medium-high. Add 100g beef and chopped porcini; brown 5 minutes, breaking up meat. Pour in 60ml white wine; simmer 3 minutes until reduced.
Build 1
Add 60g passata, 80ml strained porcini liquid, 120ml warm beef stock, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, pinch nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to the beef. Reduce heat to low; simmer 50 minutes uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes, until thick and glossy.
Build 2
While ragù simmers, make béchamel. Melt 15g butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in 15g flour; cook 2 minutes until pale gold. Whisk in 200ml warm milk slowly; cook 5 minutes until thick and coating. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and pinch nutmeg. Cool slightly.
Wrap
Preheat oven to 190°C. Roll chilled pastry to 25cm circle, 4mm thick, on a floured surface. Brush a small ovenproof bowl or 12cm springform tin with butter. Line with pastry, leaving 2cm overhang. Combine cooked pasta with two-thirds ragù, all béchamel, and 15g Parmigiano. Spoon into pastry shell.
Bake
Spoon reserved ragù over pasta filling. Sprinkle remaining 5g Parmigiano on top. Fold pastry overhang inward to make a partial lid. Brush with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water. Bake 35 minutes at 190°C until pastry is golden and filling bubbles at edges. Rest 8 minutes.
Plate
Loosen the edge with a knife and unmould onto a plate. Serve immediately while the pastry is warm and crisp.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.