Caròla Francesconi was the Dean of Neapolitan food writers, and her friends were happy to share recipes with her. This particular dish, she says, was devised many years ago, perhaps by Luigi Pignatelli della Leonessa Principe di Monteroduni or a cook of his, and has been passed down in the family, with different family members making slight modifications to it.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- The first recipe, from the late Isabella Condurso formerly Pignatelli della Leonessa. To serve 6:
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) vermicelli
- 5 ounces (125 g) cured lard (if you cannot find this use prosciutto fat, ot the fat from pancetta)
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) cervellata
- A large onion, finely sliced
- 4 ounces (100 g) prosciutto, shredded
- 8 ounces (weight; 200 g) tomato paste
- --
- Version 2, from Anna Maria Giovagnoni Visocchi. To serve 6:
- 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) vermicelli1 1/3 pounds fresh, uncured pork rump (what will become ham if cured)
- 4 ounces (100 g) prosciutto, shredded
- 5 ounces (weight; 120 g) tomato paste
- 4 ounces (100 g; see above for substitution) lard
- Salt & pepper to taste
- --
- Version 3, from Count Paolo Gaetani
- 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) vermicelli
- 3 ounces (75 g; see below for substitution) lard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 an onion, shredded
- 12 ounces (300 g) cervellatine
- 2 ounces (50 g) prosciutto, shredded
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 5 ounces (weight; 120 g) tomato paste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
The basic technique, she says, remains the same: adding meat to the pot a little at a time and cooking it with tomato sauce for at least three hours. In other words, a ragú of sorts. She has three variations (the ingredients are above). Before we continue, however, one thing: All three recipes call for cervellata, and though one might think it has something to do with brains (cervella in Italian), Mrs. Francesconi says it's either sausage meat without the casing, or, in this case, minced pork rump, the cut that's used to make prosciutto or ham.The first recipe, from the late Isabella Condurso formerly Pignatelli della Leonessa:
Grind the lard and brown it in a pot, adding the finely sliced onion and when the onion is golden 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper. Continue cooking until mixture turns mahogany, and then add the cervellata a little at a time, squashing it and stirring it about with a spoon.
When it has begun to brown add the prosciutto, and then the tomato, either paste or fresh sauce, and simmer it all until everything is well cooked.
Lady Isabella assumes you will know you should cook the pasta and season it with the sauce. In terms of simmering time, figure three hours, adding liquid if need be to keep the sauce from drying out and burning.
Version 2, from Anna Maria Giovagnoni Visocchi:
Mince the pork and proceed as in version number one. The meat should be cooked very slowly, and the sauce should be thick when it's ready, so that the pasta is dry, not swimming in liquid, when it's seasoned.
Version 3, from Count Paolo Gaetani:
Remove the casings from the cervellatine (in this case they're sausages) and crumble them. Grind the lard and brown it slightly in the oil over a low flame. Add the onion and let it color too. Next, slowly add the meat, stirring constantly, and when it begins to color add the pepper and the prosciutto. Sprinkle the wine over the sauce and let it evaporate, then add the tomato paste, and, after a couple of minutes, some water. Simmer the sauce until it is thoroughly cooked and thickened. Be careful salting it because the prosiutto is salty. When it's ready, cook and season the vermicelli.
