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

Excerpted from “EXPLORING VENICE” – Travel Guide – Cookbook by Daniel Bellino Zwicke