Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake Recipe from the South Tyrol – The Pasta Challenge
This straightforward ham and cheese pasta bake recipe from the mountainous South Tyrol (Alto Adige) is made with selfmade egg pasta sheets lower into squares (fleckerl) after which baked with cooked ham and Asiago. The selfmade pasta is easy to make. However, you possibly can cheat by utilizing ready-made lasagne pasta sheets. A brilliant tacky pasta bake that each one the household will love!
Italian recipe with a German title.
Often called schunchenfletz within the South Tyrol, this baked pasta with ham and cheese is a simplified model of one other native dish known as schinkenflekerl. The names are extra German than Italian!
It’s because Italy’s South Tyrol not solely borders with Austria however was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire till 1919. Though an Italian area, nearly all of folks there use German after they write and communicate in an Austro-Bavarian or South Tyrolean dialect.
As you possibly can think about, the South Tyrolean delicacies could be very influenced by the Austrian kitchen. Actually, schinkenfleckerl is a standard dish in Austria, the place many outlets promote ‘fleckerl’, ready-made egg pasta squares. In addition they make one other conventional dish with this pasta known as krautfleckerl with cabbage and bacon.
What are pasta squares known as in Italian?
Outdoors of the South Tyrol, Italians don’t use the title fleckerl to explain egg pasta squares. As an alternative, they name pasta squares quadrucci or quadretti. Nonetheless, this pasta is normally smaller than fleckerl. It’s extra a sort of pastina and largely utilized in soups and broth.
In some Italian recipes, the title quadrotti is used to confer with barely bigger pasta squares. However that can also be a well-liked title for sq. ravioli!
Bigger pasta squares are sometimes known as fazzoletti in Italian which means handkerchiefs. However, handkerchief pasta is historically a lot larger than the pasta on this baked ham and cheese pasta squares recipe. It’s additionally not usually baked, though there’s a recipe for baked fazzoletti from Abruzzo known as fregnacce abruzzese.
As a result of the pasta on this ham and cheese pasta bake recipe is handmade and the pasta squares don’t should be uniform in dimension, we are able to additionally name this a sort of maltagliati.
Maltagliati means badly lower in Italian and there are numerous forms of flat pasta items which might be known as maltagliati. These embody pasta lower into triangles, rhomboids, rectangles and squares! Some have a special title like patallette from Abruzzo or cresc’tajat in Marche.
The origins of this baked pasta squares recipe.
I first got here throughout this recipe in a beautiful e book known as the Encyclopaedia of pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita. It is a nice useful resource for pasta lovers. It contains actually tons of of forms of pasta and pasta dishes and is stuffed with historic and geographical data.
It isn’t a recipe e book as there aren’t any lists of substances or detailed recipe directions. However, it’s a reference e book that information all the normal forms of pasta in Italy from essentially the most obscure to essentially the most well-known!
In line with Ms. Zanini de Vita, the primary written reference to this baked ham and cheese pasta squares (schunchenfletz) was made within the 1800s. This recipe was included in a handwritten recipe e book belonging to a sure de Montel household that dates again to earlier than 1820. The e book was copied in Rome in 1871.
There are only a few variations of this recipe on-line. I did uncover a pair in Italian, in fact. This is one that I followed for the principle substances though I didn’t use rye flour which this recipe requires. Rye flour is a standard ingredient within the South Tyrolean kitchen. They use it to make each bread and pasta.
How you can make this ham and cheese pasta bake recipe.
Regardless of what one would possibly name the pasta squares on this recipe or how related it’s to schinkenfleckerl, this baked pasta is simple to make and severely good! The pasta squares are blended with numerous butter and cheese after which layered with items of ham and baked till the tacky prime has melted and grow to be slightly browned.
Aside from making the recent pasta, this recipe requires little or no preparation. All it is advisable to do is soften butter and lower the ham and cheese into small cubes. Then parboil the pasta and blend it with the opposite substances and bake. Simple proper? Additionally an ideal recipe for leftover vacation ham.
The cheese.
I made this recipe with Asiago. It is a excellent melting cheese from the mountains near the place I stay. The cheese in one of many recipes I discovered for this dish is Il Puzzone di Moena (Spretz Tzaorì). It is a mountain cheese from the South Tyrol made solely from the milk of cows grazing at between 1,000 and a pair of,000 metres above sea degree.
Clearly, that cheese isn’t simply obtainable outdoors of Italy. However Asiago is, and in any other case gruyere or fontina would work nicely too!
Making the pasta squares.
This recipe calls for traditional egg pasta sheets that are then lower into squares. The pasta is identical as for lasagna. It has simply comfortable wheat flour, salt and eggs which you combine collectively in a bowl after which knead right into a dough.
As soon as the dough has rested, it is advisable to roll it out into sheets after which lower into squares. You should utilize a pasta machine (as we did) or roll the dough out with a rolling pin.
Should you don’t need to make your personal pasta for this recipe, simply half prepare dinner dried lasagne sheets in boiling salted water, drain them and lower them into squares as soon as they’ve cooled.
End and bake.
As soon as your pasta squares are prepared, soften some butter and blend it with the pasta. Then add a number of the cheese and salt to style. combine once more. The following step is to grease an oven dish and make a layer of the pasta squares.
Cowl this with some items of ham and cheese after which make one other layer of pasta. As soon as once more, cowl this with ham and cheese. Then, bake the dish till all of the cheese has melted and began to brown.
What to do with leftovers.
When you’ve got leftovers, you possibly can maintain them sealed within the fridge for a day or two. I prefer to reheat leftovers as particular person parts within the microwave.
Let me know what you suppose.
Whether or not you make this South Tyrolean ham and cheese pasta bake with recent selfmade pasta squares or utilizing prepared lasagne sheets, this can be a tremendous straightforward recipe. All you want is pasta or flour and eggs to make your personal, plus salt, ham, cheese and butter. These are all pantry staples. Undoubtedly one to strive!
Should you do do this recipe, I’d like to know what you suppose. Please write a remark right here on the weblog or publish a touch upon the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your suggestions means loads to me!
Buon Appetito!
Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake from the South Tyrol
This straightforward ham and cheese pasta bake from the Italian mountains is historically made with selfmade pasta squares however you may also use prepared lasagne sheets as a substitute. A brilliant household baked pasta recipe made with pantry staples.
Substances
To make the pasta dough
- 7 oz Italian ’00’ comfortable wheat flour (200g) or all function flour
- 2 eggs (massive)
- 1 pinch salt
To complete the dish
- 7 oz Asiago cheese (200g) or gruyere, fontina and so on lower into cubes
- 5 oz cooked ham (150g) lower into cubes. Leftover vacation ham works very well on this recipe.
- 2.5 oz butter (75g)
- salt to style
Directions
To make the pasta squares
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See step-by-step directions beneath this recipe card to make pasta sheets
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Reduce every sheet of pasta into 3x3cm (1.2in) squares. Place prepared squares on a floured floor till all are prepared. The squares do not should be good simply kind of the identical dimension.
End, bake and serve.
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Reduce the ham and cheese into small cubes. Soften the butter in a small saucepan.
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Prepare dinner the pasta squares in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes till al dente. Drain and put in a bowl with melted butter and a few cheese cubes. Add salt and blend fastidiously.
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Butter an oven dish after which make a layer of pasta squares in it. Cowl this with items of ham and cheese after which make one other layer and canopy this in ham and cheese too.
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Bake your ham and cheese pasta squares in a preheated oven at 180°c (356°f) for about quarter-hour or till the cheese has melted and the highest has browned barely. Let your baked pasta relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving.
Notes
As an alternative of creating recent pasta, you should utilize prepared made lasagne sheets. Partly boil them in salted water, drain and funky. Then lower into small squares.
Leftovers could be stored within the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days and reheated within the microwave.
How you can make recent egg pasta sheets.
- Sift the flour right into a bowl and add eggs and salt.
2. Beat the eggs with a fork.
3. Proceed mixing the flour and eggs till you’ve the beginning of a dough. Use your fingers to knead the dough till it now not sticks to the facet of the bowl.
4. Flip the dough out onto a flour dusted work floor and knead for 7-10 minutes till comfortable and pliable.
5. Roll the dough right into a ball and let it relaxation for half-hour wrapped in clingfilm or a humid tea towel.
6. After the dough has rested, lower off one third and rewrap the remainder. Roll the dough piece out so you possibly can go it by a pasta machine.
7. Cross the dough by the widest setting in your machine. Then fold it in thirds and repeat twice.
8. Then, go the sheet by the machine 2 or 3 instances extra on narrower settings.
The widest setting on my machine is 7. After 7 I then go the dough by 5 after which 3. The dough sheet doesn’t should be tremendous skinny to make pasta squares. On some machines the widest setting is 1. You may as well simply roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
Different baked pasta recipes on your recent egg pasta sheets.
- Basil pesto lasagna
- Ham and cheese pasta roses
- Smoked salmon pasta rosettes.
- Poached salmon and asparagus lasagna.
- Italian lamb lasagna.
Are you curious about studying the way to make different forms of selfmade pasta and several types of gnocchi? Then try my store web page for some nice video on-line programs from my buddies in Rome! Nothing beats studying to make pasta from Italians! Plus whilst you’re there why not order a replica of one in all my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some really useful pasta making instruments?
Extra Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol
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