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 straightforward to make. However, you possibly can cheat through the use of ready-made lasagne pasta sheets. A brilliant tacky pasta bake that each one the household will love!
Italian recipe with a German title.
Referred to as 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 is because Italy’s South Tyrol not solely borders with Austria however was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1815 to 1919. Though an Italian area, nearly all of individuals there use German once they write and communicate in an Austro-Bavarian dialect.
As you possibly can think about, the South Tyrolean delicacies may 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 a substitute, they name pasta squares quadrucci or quadretti. Nonetheless, this pasta is often smaller than fleckerl. It’s extra a sort of pastina and principally utilized in soups and broth.
In some Italian recipes, the title quadrotti is used to discuss with barely bigger pasta squares. However that can also be a preferred title for sq. ravioli!
Bigger pasta squares are sometimes known as fazzoletti in Italian which means handkerchiefs. However, handkerchief pasta is historically a lot greater 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 must 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 sorts of flat pasta items which can be known as maltagliati. These embrace pasta lower into triangles, rhomboids, rectangles and squares! Some have a distinct 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 guide known as the Encyclopaedia of pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita. It is a nice useful resource for pasta lovers. It consists of actually lots of of sorts of pasta and pasta dishes and is stuffed with historic and geographical info.
It isn’t a recipe guide as there aren’t any lists of substances or detailed recipe directions. However, it’s a reference guide that data all the standard sorts 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 guide belonging to a sure de Montel household that dates again to earlier than 1820. The guide 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. That is one which I adopted for the ingredient portions 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.
Methods to make this ham and cheese pasta bake recipe.
Regardless of what one may name the pasta squares on this recipe or how comparable it’s to schinkenfleckerl, this baked pasta is simple to make and significantly good! The pasta squares are blended with plenty of butter and cheese after which layered with items of ham and baked till the tacky prime has melted and grow to be a bit browned.
Other than making the recent pasta, this recipe requires little or no preparation. All it’s essential 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?
The cheese.
I made this recipe with Asiago. It is a excellent melting cheese from the mountains near the place I reside. 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 accessible outdoors of Italy. However Asiago is, and in any other case gruyere or fontina would work properly too!
Making the pasta squares.
This recipe calls for traditional egg pasta sheets that are then lower into squares. The pasta is similar 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’s essential 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.
For those who don’t wish to make your individual pasta for this recipe, simply half cook 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 subsequent 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 hold 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 assume.
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 individual, plus salt, ham, cheese and butter. These are all pantry staples. Undoubtedly one to strive!
For those who do do this recipe, I’d like to know what you assume. Please write a remark right here on the weblog or put up a touch upon the Pasta Challenge Fb web page.
Your suggestions means so much 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 too can use prepared lasagne sheets as an alternative. 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 objective flour
- 2 eggs (massive)
- 1 pinch salt
To complete the dish
- 7 oz Asiago cheese (200g) or gruyere, fontina and so forth lower into cubes
- 5 oz cooked ham (150g) lower into cubes
- 3.5 oz butter (100g)
- 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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Minimize every sheet of pasta into 3x3cm (1.2in) squares. Place prepared squares on a floured floor till all are prepared. The squares do not must be good simply kind of the identical dimension.
End, bake and serve.
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Minimize 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 rigorously.
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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 a substitute of constructing recent pasta, you need to use prepared made lasagne sheets. Partly boil them in salted water, drain and funky. Then lower into small squares.
Leftovers may be stored within the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days and reheated within the microwave.
Methods to 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 have got the beginning of a dough. Use your palms 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 means of a pasta machine.
7. Go the dough by means of the widest setting in your machine. Then fold it in thirds and repeat twice.
8. Then, go the sheet by means of 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 means of 5 after which 3. The dough sheet doesn’t must 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 to 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 make different sorts of selfmade pasta and several types of gnocchi? Then take a look at my store web page for some nice video on-line programs from my mates in Rome! Nothing beats studying to make pasta from Italians! Plus when you’re there why not order a replica of certainly one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some really helpful pasta making instruments?
Extra Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol
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