Castellini di Pasta

Episode 108 - Castellini di Pasta

Ingredients:

  • Pasta Sheets:
  • 500g Plain Flour ‘000’ (sifted)
  • 4 – 5 large Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Olive Oil
  • 10g Salt
  • Filling:
  • 500g Pork Mince
  • 500g Veal Mince
  • 2 – 3 Large Onions (cut into small cubes)
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 250g Bacon
  • 250g Spinach
  • 100g Parmesan Cheese (grated)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • ½ glass of sweet White Wine
  • ½ cup of Liquid Stock (chicken)
  • Olive Oil
  • 50g Oregano
  • 50g Sage
  • 50g Rosemary
  • 250g Cheese (shredded)
  • 100g Pecorino Cheese (grated)
  • 2 large Eggs

Method:

Pasta Sheets:

  1. Place flour and salt in a bowl and mix with spoon.
  2. In a separate bowl beat eggs and olive oil.
  3. Place the flour, salt, eggs & olive oil in a food processor and mix on medium speed until you get a crumbly mixture.
  4. Take mixture out of the processor and knead by hand on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  5. Using a pasta machine or a heavy rolling pin, roll out dough into sheets approx 12cm wide.
  6. Let the sheets dry for about 10 minutes cover with glad wrap and place in the fridge until you are ready for next phase.
  7. Fill a large pot with hot water and bring to the boil.
  8. Take the pasta sheets out of fridge and carefully place in boiling water.
  9. Cook for 7 minutes and carefully with a strainer take sheets out from boiling water and immediately place them in a sink already filled with cold water. This will allow pasta sheets to cool down and stop cooking.
  10. Once cool, place sheets in a tray extended in cold water.

Meat:

  1. Place olive oil in pan over medium heat.
  2. Add pork and veal mince, liquid stock, wine and keep mixing until meat is cooked through.
  3. Sauté finely chopped onions, bacon and stir from time to time.
  4. Add onions and bacon to the pork and veal mince and keep mixing until the meat is cooked through.
  5. Add sage, oregano and rosemary.
  6. Drain excess stock into a bowl and keep separate. Allow meat to cool.
  7. Place meat into a mixing bowl, add eggs, salt, pepper, shredded cheese and parmesan cheese and mix in a mixer on low speed until smooth and able to be spread.
  8. If too firm add another egg.
  9. Place in fridge for a short time to set.

Assemble:

  1. On a large cutting board extend a pasta sheet.
  2. Using a spatula spread the meat mixture onto the pasta evenly.
  3. Roll pasta into a roll (similar look to a sausage roll) filling both ends.
  4. Wrap the pasta log in glad wrap and twist and tie the ends.
  5. Place in fridge for approximately for two hours or until firm.
  6. Take pasta logs out of fridge, remove plastic and cut into 5cm logs.
  7. Place a traditional Italian made sauce in the bottom of a baking tray.
  8. Place pasta logs facing up in tray (looks like a swirl).
  9. Add more sauce over the pasta swirls until covered.
  10. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes in preheated 180°C oven.
  11. Any traditional Italian sauce recipe is sufficient for this dish..