Oven Baked Pasta from Valdichiana

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ven Baked Pasta from Valdichiana is one of those dishes that my Tuscan grandmother from Montepulciano made for special occasions, prepared with mixed meat sauce such as beef, pork, turkey, chicken offal, also mixed, and four or five beautiful Tuscan sausages. A sauce that boiled slowly for at least four hours on the wood stove and that gave off an inebriating scent throughout the house, those childhood memories that have become indelible over time. What I describe below is my Bolognami recipe which in our area we absolutely do not call Lasagna but Baked Pasta as always for centuries. Legend has it that it has a Medici origin, but the Medici one was probably made like the Maccheroni Timbale, which I will soon describe to you, but instead it was most likely modified by our Housewives of Vadichiana and used during wedding lunches and other events important family members, and then over time it became a dish for every occasion

Oven Baked Pasta from Valdichiana Typical Tuscan Recipe

Oven Baked Pasta from Valdichiana is a typical recipe from our area. Initially, it could be confused with Lasagne, but this is not the case. Since the Bolognese Lasagne, the original ones, have a green pastry and to obtain it Spinach must be added to the dough and the sauce is made with other ingredients, and it must not be confused even with the Lasagne which are usually prepared in our South, because even if the pastry is made in the same system, the sauce is absolutely not. The Lasagne Sugli which are mainly prepared in the South are made only of Tomato where Meatballs, Boiled Eggs, Provola, various cured meats and other ingredients are then added in the preparation. The ingredients that I list below are quite abundant, as when I prepare the sauce, I put whatever is left over in glass jars and freeze it because it is delicious with any type of pasta. The secret of this recipe is the quality of the ingredients used, especially for the sauce which must be made with plenty of high quality Tuscan extra virgin olive oil. The recipe is a bit long, but it is a wonder for the palate

Ingredients for preparing Valdichiana Baked Pasta

FOR THE SAUCE

1.50 Kg of Lean Minced Veal Meat

400 g of Lean Minced Pork

400 g of Minced Turkey Meat

400 g of Mixed Chicken Entrails (Heart, Lungs, Liver) Minced

4 Fresh Tuscan Sausages

3 Kg of Peeled Tomatoes

1 Onion

1 Carrot

2 Celery Ribs

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 Sprig of Parsley

1 Basal tuft

750ml of Santa Margherita Bolognami Extra Virgin Olive Oil

300ml Vecchia Cantina Organic Red Montepulciano

Nutmeg to taste

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

FOR THE SHEET

600gr of Type 0 Flour

6 Eggs

FOR THE BECHAMELLA

1lt of milk

100gr of Butter

100gr of Flour

Salt to taste

Nutmeg to taste

TO SEASON THE PASTA

6 Mozzarella

400 g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation of Valdichiana Oven Baked Pasta

First we start with the longest preparation, the sauce, finely chop the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and fry in olive oil over medium heat, as soon as you see that the onion becomes transparent, add the meat, mincing the sausages well, mix everything well, and wait for it to start to boil, as soon as it boils, add the red wine and start to evaporate, also add the parsley, basil, nutmeg, start adding the salt and pepper which you will then dose after adding the tomatoes. As soon as the wine has evaporated, add the tomatoes that you have previously reduced to very small pieces, boil everything for at least three hours, stirring the sauce often so that it does not stick, first over high heat, and then over increasingly lower heat, when you see that the oil rises to the surface and the tomatoes no longer bubble, the sauce is ready, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. It's time to prepare the dough, put the flour and eggs in a bowl, first use a fork and then knead with your hands, when the dough is elastic and homogeneous, cover and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes. Place it on the pastry board and knead again for a few minutes, wrap it in cling film and let it rest for an hour at room temperature. Put some flour on the pastry board and start rolling out with a rolling pin, the dough must be neither too fine nor too coarse. To make this preparation it would be better to help yourself with a pasta sheeter. Once you have reached the right thickness of the dough, cut into 10X25 centimeter rectangles. If you don't want to make pasta by hand, you can buy fresh, short-life pasta at the grocery store; remember that it must be blanched for a few minutes in boiling salted water before using it. Cut the Mozzarella into small cubes. Prepare the Béchamel, put the butter in a pan and let it melt over a low heat, add the sifted flour, toast for a moment, add the milk, a pinch of salt and a good grating of nutmeg, let it thicken over medium heat, stirring continuation so that it does not stick. Take a tall baking tray, possibly rectangular and start putting a light layer of sauce on the bottom, add the pasta, more sauce, a good handful of Mozzarella, the Bechamel and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano, and continue like this for at least four layers, I I usually do six. On the last layer do not put the Parmesan but cover well with the Bechamel. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and place the pan with the pasta, cook for about 60 minutes, initially covered with aluminum foil, and then uncovered when you see that the béchamel has brown spots it should be ready. My goodness, what great goodness. Thank you Grandma Eduina. Hurray for Tuscany. Hurray for Italy

The Wine I Recommend with Oven Baked Pasta Valdichiana

Even if it is a Pasta, I absolutely recommend a nice full-bodied Red Wine such as the Briareo Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva Cantina del Redi, produced with Sangiovese grapes, harvested when fully ripe on the vineyards along the hills of Montepulciano with a Guyot and spurred cordon training with a planting density of 4000/5000 plants per hectare for 80 quintals of annual yield. The grapes are harvested and selected manually once in the cellar, they are softly pressed, then fermentation takes place with maceration on the skins at a controlled temperature for at least 15 days. Maturation is carried out in small wooden barrels for at least 24 months, followed by 6 months of refinement in the bottle. In the glass it has an intense ruby red color with garnet reflections. The nose is rich and complex, with notes of ripe red fruit and vanilla. In the mouth it is well concentrated, elegant in its components, which upon tasting reveal a harmonious finish despite a light and pleasant tannic note. Serve at a temperature of 18 degrees