I find long Neapolitan maccheroni with fine holes and sturdy walls to be best here, because they absorb the sauce and don’t overcook. The recipe will feed 12 people; you can modify it as you wish.
Meanwhile, set the porcini to steep in boiling water, make a béchamel sauce using a cup of milk, and sauté the giblets and sweetbreads in butter, seasoning them with salt and pepper; when they’ve browned lightly, sprinkle them with meat sauce and simmer them until done. Cut the giblets and sweetbreads into pieces the size of hazelnuts, cut the prosciutto into thin strips, finely slice the truffles and the porcini, and mix everything together, seasoning the mixture with a pinch of nutmeg.
I assume you will already have prepared the piecrust, as it needs to sit for several hours. Now that you have assembled all the ingredients, you can put your pie together. Take a pan of a size proportionate to the volume of your ingredients and butter it. Drain the maccheroni and lay down an initial layer. Sprinkle it with grated cheese, dot it with bits of butter, and spread some of the giblet mixture over it. Lay down another layer of noodles and repeat the process, continuing till all the ingredients are used up and the pan is full.
Roll the dough out with a smooth rolling pin till the disk is the size of the pie pan, roll it once with a ribbed rolling pin to pattern the surface, and cover the pie. Roll out two more strips and lay them down in the shape of a cross to reinforce the crust, then crimp down a strip around the border of the pie, and, if you are good at shaping pastry ornaments, use the remaining dough for that purpose, not forgetting to place a pretty bow in the center of the pie. Brush the pie with egg yolk and bake it at 450 F for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake it for 30 minutes more. Serve it hot, to those eagerly waiting to do it justice.
Carnival Recipes
- 3/4 pound pasta, either bucatini or perciatelli
- 3 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano
- 6 ounces sweetbreads
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3 ounces black truffles (optional)
- 1 ounce prosciutto
- A handful of dried porcini
- The giblets of 3-4 chickens. If you have the combs, wattles, and unborn eggs, so much the better.
- Nutmeg to taste
Meanwhile, set the porcini to steep in boiling water, make a béchamel sauce using a cup of milk, and sauté the giblets and sweetbreads in butter, seasoning them with salt and pepper; when they’ve browned lightly, sprinkle them with meat sauce and simmer them until done. Cut the giblets and sweetbreads into pieces the size of hazelnuts, cut the prosciutto into thin strips, finely slice the truffles and the porcini, and mix everything together, seasoning the mixture with a pinch of nutmeg.
I assume you will already have prepared the piecrust, as it needs to sit for several hours. Now that you have assembled all the ingredients, you can put your pie together. Take a pan of a size proportionate to the volume of your ingredients and butter it. Drain the maccheroni and lay down an initial layer. Sprinkle it with grated cheese, dot it with bits of butter, and spread some of the giblet mixture over it. Lay down another layer of noodles and repeat the process, continuing till all the ingredients are used up and the pan is full.
Roll the dough out with a smooth rolling pin till the disk is the size of the pie pan, roll it once with a ribbed rolling pin to pattern the surface, and cover the pie. Roll out two more strips and lay them down in the shape of a cross to reinforce the crust, then crimp down a strip around the border of the pie, and, if you are good at shaping pastry ornaments, use the remaining dough for that purpose, not forgetting to place a pretty bow in the center of the pie. Brush the pie with egg yolk and bake it at 450 F for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake it for 30 minutes more. Serve it hot, to those eagerly waiting to do it justice.
Carnival Recipes