Keeping the tradition alive: Pasticcio di Maccheroni Ferrara Style

This is the most traditional dish of my city that dates back to the Estense Dinasty of the 15 century. I think that this represents the most amazing food heritage  in the history of food heritage in the world. Quite a statement, but unquestionable true. If my aunt knew that I was sharing this family recipe she would probably be very upset with me but when you own something so precious, you have to share it.

You’ll need:

For the pastry:

·      250g of white flour

·      115g of butter

·      1 egg

·      100g of sugar

For the béchamel:

·      600ml of milk

·      60g of butter

·      60 g of flour

·      A pinch of salt

·      Some grated nutmeg

For the filling:

·      150g of maccheroncini cooked in milk al dente

·      300g of chicken liver and heart

·      A glass of marsala

·      Dried Porcini mushroom

·      1 glass of milk

·      Truffle

 Melt the butter into a bowl and add the sugar, if it is not too warm you can add the egg, otherwise wait a little and gradually add the flour. Make a ball and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

The béchamel is not a very difficult sauce but you have to be careful not to create lumps once you add the flour. So start by melting the butter in a pot and gradually add the flour. You have to make what the French call “ roux blanc”. Once you are done with flour start adding the warm milk (it is important that the milk is warm to avoid lumps) help yourself by stirring repeatedly with a whisk. Once the béchamel is thick remove it from the heat and season with salt, pepper nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.  

For the white ragout, oil a pan with some chopped onions and start cooking the chicken’s liver and heart. Once they start changing color, add the Marsala. After the alcohol has evaporated add the dried porcini that have been revitalized in warm water: add a glass of milk and a teaspoon of truffle paste.

Once you have the ragout, the Maccheroni cooked in milk and the béchamel ready, you can combine the three and make the filling.

Divide the dough in 2, one bigger than the other. Take the bigger one, roll it and fold a cake tin. Add the filling and cover it with the other half. Make a hole in the center and cover it with a cute little tap made with leftover dough. It very important to do that for some physical reasons . Brush the surface with egg yok for a beautiful yellow color.

Bake it for 30 minutes at 180°C