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18th-century: practically an Italian Classic Pasta Cream & Ham! |
The Mozart Pasta Series No. 4 1. Timballo of Maccaroni with Cream and Ham (1790) with 2 derived Trick Recipes |
The famous recipes from the 18th-century most famous kitchens of the Italian aristocracy of Rome and Naples and other cities, at whose salons Mozart & Leopold often spent their time in 1770s. |
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DIFFICULTY: Italian Ballo Ballo Timballo Panna e Prosciutto!!! |
1. TIMBALLO OF MACCARONI WITH CREAM AND HAM (1790) With the term Maccaroni, in reality, various types of pasta were generically meant. For this recipe with cream, the best type of pasta is: real maccheroni, tortiglioni, rigatoni, paccheri (in this case, better if not gratinati in oven), and penne, if you want a more Florentine nuance, being penne a favourite type of pasta in Florence (as Paolo Petroni well pointed out). But maccaroni can be also spaghetti, bavette, trenette and bucatini! Only in Naples in 1770s, when Mozart and Leopold were there, even 30 different types of pasta (maccaroni) were regularly produced! For pasta all'uovo, the rule is 1 egg (fresh, entire) for each 100gr of flour or semola di grano duro (durum wheat flour). INGREDIENTS: real maccheroni (500gr; of semola di grano duro, i.e. durum wheat flour; serving 5 persons) black truffle (3; cut finely chopped) St. George mushrooms or Portobello mushrooms (100gr.) ham (cut into little cubes or julienne or just shredded; consistency depends on the flavour and on your own taste) ham (thin slices to cover the entire casserole) butter (ca 120gr; fresh, unsalted) cream (250ml; Italian type da cucina, i.e. for cooking = with fat 20-25%) salt (2 tablespoons for 500gr of pasta) pepper (crushed) nutmeg (some grated) salt (a pinch) gravy (some to your taste; of pork or beef) real Parmigiano Reggiano (or real Grana Padano abundantly grated ca 400gr; remember that this type of cheese, in part, increases the taste of salt; so be careful and properly adjust salt to your taste) 4 eggs (fresh; the yolks beaten, while the whites whipped firm peaks) FOR GRATINATURA 2 eggs (fresh; entire and beaten, to cover the surface of the maccaroni in the casserole) bread crumbles (better from the softest part of the bread) METHOD: 1. Fill a deep pot with water. When the water start boiling, pour the 2 tablespoons of salt into the boiling water. 2. Immediately pour the 500gr of pasta in the salted boiling water, maintaining the flame very vivid for ca. 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente... Otherwise, if you lower the flame, you may get a wrong too soft consistency, almost mashy, as if overcooked. You recognize al dente pasta consistency (i.e. you understand the consistency with your teeth in your mouth), when the exterior part of pasta is sufficiently soft, but the thin interior part is still hard. Usually, each different type of pasta have different cooking time: always check on the package of the pasta you have purchased. 3. Now prepare the sauce. Put, in a large pan, the truffles, the mushroom and the ham all chopped (or the ham can be also diced or in oblong pieces) with 100gr of butter and sautée them for a few minutes (not too much). 4. MANTECATURA. Remove the pasta al dente from the deep pot, by draining, and pour them into the large pan with the mushrooms and the pieces of ham. Then sautée the pasta with 250ml of cream, a pinch of salt, crushed pepper, some grated nutmeg and some gravy sauce (of pork or beef, to your taste). Stir the pasta and the sauce well (i.e. mantecatura; mixing a sauce or ingredients for a creamy and full-bodied consistency). Let it cool down. 5. When the pasta mantecata is cold, add the 4 eggs: the 4 yolks beaten and the 4 whites whipped firm peaks. Add then 400gr of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Stir very well, but carefully. 6. Now prepare the casserole. Grease the casserole with butter. Then add some bread crumbles over the butter to cover the whole casserole. Now create layers of slices of ham, to cover the butter and bread crumbles. 7. You can pour the pasta mantecata into the casserole. With a knife or a tablespoon, press the surface of the maccaroni so that it appears flat and regular. Now pour 2 entire well beaten eggs on the surface of the maccaroni and distribute bread crumbles all onto it, so to cover the whole surface of the maccaroni. 8a. GRATINATURA Now the casserole of Maccaroni is ready for the Oven. 8b. The original 18thc recipe method of cooking in the oven is: very mild oven (ca. 150° C) for 1 hour and even more. 8c. Beside the fact that the presence of whipped egg whites makes this Timballo nearer to a sort of Soufflée, in general, the Pasta Gratinatura Rules require: a-the pasta is ready, when the superficial level with the beaten eggs and the bread crumbles has a golden colour; b-pay attention that under the surface the sauce must remain creamy, thick and viscous and never dry. 8d. When the Timballo (Timbale) is ready, let it cool down for a while. It must not be served too hot. 8e. Then carefully turn the Timbale upside down on a serving plate. Around the corners of the Timbale pour some gravy (pork or beef, to your taste). _________________________ 2 TRICK RECIPES FROM THIS RECIPE In the 18th-century Gratinatura passage was practically always required for noble and rich families. But it could be omitted and the Maccaroni could be served directly after the Mantecatura. 1st TRICK RECIPE: ONLY MANTECATURA During the Mantecatura almost double the quantity of cream (ca500ml), stir all on the fire and immediately serve hot with some grated Parmigiano on the top. This type of serving existed in the 18th-century and became very common in the 19th- and 20th-century, and is still very common today. 2nd TRICK RECIPE: EARLY CARBONARA During the Mantecatura use only 250ml of cream, stir all on the fire. Then do not let it cool down, but add the 400gr of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and the 4 well beaten entire eggs (just omit the passage of the whipped whites) and well stir on the fire. With this 18th-century technique, you get an early version of the famous modern dish Carbonara (probably invented or introduced by the Italian cook Renato Gualandi in 1944, by reusing various Italian cooking techniques, like that for the Umbria Strascinati, a dish made popular in Italy in 1931). |
TIMBALLO DI MACCARONI AL PROSCIUTTO Tritate fino tre tartufi, un poco di prugnoli, e un pezzetto di prosciutto che abbia un poco sudato in una cazzarola sopra il fuoco, abbiate una libbra di maccaroni cotti con acqua e sale, scolateli, squagliate in una cazzarola sopra il fuoco un grosso pezzo di butirro, metteteci i tartufi, prugnoli, e prosciutto trito; indi i maccaroni; passate bene sopra il fuoco, aggiungeteci mezza foglietta di fiore di latte, e un poco di Culì; fate consumare movendo quasi sempre con una cucchiaia, condite, con poco sale, pepe schiacciato, e noce moscata; indi tirate indietro. Quando saranno freddi poneteci quattro rossi d'uova, ed i bianchi sbattuti in fiocca, una libbra di parmigiano grattato, mescolate bene. Abbiate una cazzarola imbutirrata, e spolverizzata di mollica di pane grattato, e coperta nel fondo, ed all’intorno di fette sottili di prosciutto ben disposte; versateci dentro i maccaroni, che la cazzarola sia quasi piena, appianate sopra col coltello, e uovo sbattuto, spolverizzate di mollica di pane: fate cuocere ad un forno temperato un'ora e più; poscia fate alquanto riposare fuori del forno, rivoltate il Timballo nel suo piatto, e servitelo con un poco di Culì all'intorno. |