CASNOVA’S MACCHERONI PIE
Free Recipe - Courtesy of author Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Excerpted from Daniel's latest book "EXPLORING VENICE"
This dish was one of Casanova’s all-time favorites. It's an extravagant dish that is great for parties, as its extravagance is what makes it special. It is a special celebration dish that most people may have never seen, so if you take the time to make it, it is quite gratifying, and is sure to immensely please your guests, as it did the great Venetian Lover - Giacomo Casanova.
RECIPE -
“CASANOVA’S VENETIAN MACCHERONI PIE”
PIE DOUGH - INGREDIENTS :
1 pound all purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
12 ounces (3 sticks) Butter
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Turn on and pulse just as everything forms into a ball. Stop mixing immediately.
Place dough on a lightly floured board or table and knead by hand for 5 minutes form into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
CHICKEN LIVERS :
1 pound Chicken Livers
2 tablespoons Butter
1 small Onion, peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup - Sherry, dry Marsala, or Vin Santo
Salt & ground Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Add butter and onions to a large frying pan. Cook on low heat for 4 minutes, as you stir.
Add the chicken livers and cook on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the Balsamic Vinegar and wine and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Turn heat off and set aside to cool.
FILLING :
1 & ½ pounds ground Pork
2 ounces Dry Porcini Mushrooms
1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped fine
2 tablespoons Butter
½ teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
2 pinches each of Nutmeg & ground Cloves
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
⅓ cup Red Wine
Place dry Porcini Mushrooms in a bowl of warm water, just to cover. Let the porcini soak for 20 minutes. Remove from water. Wash two times with cold water. Chop and set aside.
Place the ground pork in a large pot with half the butter. Cook on low heat for 6 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Season with Salt & Black Pepper and stir.
Add the wine and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Turn heat to high, and bring everything up to the boil. Once everything is boiling, turn heat to very low, and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Be sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the spoon to keep from sticking and burning. Be sure to stir every few minutes. Turn off after 1 hour & let rest.
BECHAMEL :
1 quart Milk
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup Flour
1 Bay Leaf
¼ teaspoon each Salt & White Pepper
pinch Nutmeg
Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add flour and cook on low heat while stirring with a wire whip for 5 minutes.
Increase to medium heat and slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Add bay leaf, salt & white pepper.
Add a pinch of Nutmeg, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes while stirring.
1 pound fresh BUTTON MUSHROOMS
Clean the mushrooms and cut in half. Saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of butter, with a pinch each of salt & black pepper for 6 minutes over low to medium heat. Set aside.
1 pound frozen PEAS, defrosted
MACCHERONI
1 pound Short Pasta - Rigatoni, Ziti, or other
Cook the Maccheroni in salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander.
Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough into 2 pieces by cutting off a third of the dough that will be the top of the pie. The larger piece is for the bottom.
Place the larger piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to normal pie size. Place into a 10” Springform pan.
Mix CASNOVA’S MACCHERONI PIE
This dish was one of Casanova’s all-time favorites. It's an extravagant dish that is great for parties, as its extravagance is what makes it special. It is a special celebration dish that most people may have never seen, so if you take the time to make it, it is quite gratifying, and is sure to immensely please your guests, as it did the great Venetian Lover - Giacomo Casanova.
RECIPE -
“CASANOVA’S VENETIAN MACCHERONI PIE”
PIE DOUGH - INGREDIENTS :
1 pound all purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
12 ounces (3 sticks) Butter
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Turn on and pulse just as everything forms into a ball. Stop mixing immediately.
Place dough on a lightly floured board or table and knead by hand for 5 minutes form into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
CHICKEN LIVERS :
1 pound Chicken Livers
2 tablespoons Butter
1 small Onion, peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup - Sherry, dry Marsala, or Vin Santo
Salt & ground Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Add butter and onions to a large frying pan. Cook on low heat for 4 minutes, as you stir.
Add the chicken livers and cook on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the Balsamic Vinegar and wine and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Turn heat off and set aside to cool.
FILLING :
1 & ½ pounds ground Pork
2 ounces Dry Porcini Mushrooms
1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped fine
2 tablespoons Butter
½ teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
2 pinches each of Nutmeg & ground Cloves
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
⅓ cup Red Wine
Place dry Porcini Mushrooms in a bowl of warm water, just to cover. Let the porcini soak for 20 minutes. Remove from water. Wash two times with cold water. Chop and set aside.
Place the ground pork in a large pot with half the butter. Cook on low heat for 6 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Season with Salt & Black Pepper and stir.
Add the wine and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Turn heat to high, and bring everything up to the boil. Once everything is boiling, turn heat to very low, and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Be sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the spoon to keep from sticking and burning. Be sure to stir every few minutes. Turn off after 1 hour & let rest.
BECHAMEL :
1 quart Milk
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup Flour
1 Bay Leaf
¼ teaspoon each Salt & White Pepper
pinch Nutmeg
Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add flour and cook on low heat while stirring with a wire whip for 5 minutes.
Increase to medium heat and slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Add bay leaf, salt & white pepper.
Add a pinch of Nutmeg, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes while stirring.
1 pound fresh BUTTON MUSHROOMS
Clean the mushrooms and cut in half. Saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of butter, with a pinch each of salt & black pepper for 6 minutes over low to medium heat. Set aside.
1 pound frozen PEAS, defrosted
MACCHERONI
1 pound Short Pasta - Rigatoni, Ziti, or other
Cook the Maccheroni in salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander.
Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough into 2 pieces by cutting off a third of the dough that will be the top of the pie. The larger piece is for the bottom.
Place the larger piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to normal pie size. Place into a 10” Springform pan.
Mix the ground pork mixture, peas, and cooked button mushrooms with the chicken livers. Place this mixture into a large bowl with the cooked maccheroni (pasta) and grated Parmigiano cheese and mix. Add ⅔ of the warm Bechamel, and grated Fontina Cheese and mix.
Place the filling in the pie shell. Roll out the smaller piece of dough until it is the thickness of a pie, and top the timballo.
Crimp the dough together with your fingers.
Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, and let cool a bit before serving.
Cut each person a generous portion of the Maccheroni Pie. Drizzle a little of the remaining Bechamel Sauce over each person's serving, with a little grated Parmigiano on top, and enjoy like Casanova.
“SPECIAL ADDED TREAT” Black Truffles
This is an optional add-on that would be most delightful, and keeping with the Casanova’s desire for the best of life’s pleasure, would be to add a dollop of “Black Truffles” to each person’s dish.
You can buy some Black Truffle Pate on Amazon, made by “La Rustichella.” It’s just about $20 for a jar, and completely worth the extra extravagance. “Casanova surely Would.the ground pork mixture, peas, and cooked button mushrooms with the chicken livers. Place this mixture into a large bowl with the cooked maccheroni (pasta) and grated Parmigiano cheese and mix. Add ⅔ of the warm Bechamel, and grated Fontina Cheese and mix. Place the filling in the pie shell. Roll out the smaller piece of dough until it is the thickness of a pie, and top the with dough Crimp the dough together with your fingers Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for Cut each person a generous portion of the Maccheroni Pie. Drizzle a little of the remaining Bechamel Sauce over each person's serving, with a little grated Parmigiano on top, and enjoy like Casanova.“SPECIAL ADDED TREAT” Black Truffles This is an optional add-on that would be most delightful, and keeping with the Casanova’s desire for the best of life’s pleasure, would be to add a dollop of “Black Truffles” to each person’s dish. You can buy some Black Truffle Pate on Amazon, made by “La Rustichella.” It’s just about $20 for a jar, and completely worth the extra extravagance. “Casanova surely Would. Excerpted from "EXPLORING VENICE" - Travel Guide - Cookbook by Daniel Bellino Zwicke CASANOVA MACCHERONI PIE by BeLLINO The exact "Casanova Maccheroni Pie" recipe text is proprietary to Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s published literary cookbooks—most notably his culinary travel guides like Exploring Venice: Travel Guide & Cookbook.However, his recipe recreates a specific historic dish: the Maccheroni di Casanova. This 18th-century deep-dish celebration pasta was inspired by Giacomo Casanova's memoirs, where the legendary lover praised a sweet-and-savory macaroni pie prepared by a Neapolitan cook.Below is the authentic historical adaptation of the classic 18th-century Pasticcio di Maccheroni that forms the core of Bellino's culinary focus.The Anatomy of Casanova's Macaroni PieTrue to its Renaissance and Baroque origins, this dish balances sweet pastry with a savory, rich meat and mushroom filling. In Casanova’s era, tomatoes were not yet a staple, so the rich sauce relied on meats, butter, spices, and a touch of sugar.1. The Pastry Crust (Pasta Frolla Dolce)Unlike modern savory pies, the casing is a slightly sweet shortcrust pastry.
Ingredients: 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 pinch of salt, 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted cold butter (cubed), 3 large egg yolks, and ¼ cup cold water.Method: Pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in the egg yolks and cold water until a soft dough forms. Divide in half, wrap in plastic, and chill overnight.2. The Savory Filling (The Ragù & Component Mix)The Meats & Base: A combination of finely diced veal or pork, minced pancetta, chopped chicken livers (traditional to the era), and minced onions, carrots, and celery.The Additions: Fresh peas and rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms (along with a splash of Marsala wine or sweet white wine to deglaze).The Binder: A thick, velvety Besciamella (white sauce) seasoned heavily with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.3. The AssemblyPar-boil the Pasta: Cook 1 pound of maccheroni, rigatoni, or ziti in salted water until it is very undercooked (it will finish cooking inside the pie).Combine: Drain the pasta and toss it directly with the meat-and-mushroom ragù, peas, and the nutmeg-spiced besciamella sauce.Build the Pie: Butter a deep 10-inch springform pan. Roll out half of the sweet dough and line the pan, allowing excess to hang over the edges. Fill the shell with the dressed macaroni mixture and sprinkle extra Parmigiano cheese over the top.Seal and Bake: Roll out the second half of the dough, place it over the filling, and pinch the edges to seal. Cut a small vent in the top, brush with an egg wash, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 45 to 50 minutes until the pastry casing turns an intense golden brown .
