This straightforward ham and cheese pasta bake recipe from the mountainous South Tyrol (Alto Adige) is made with home made egg pasta sheets reduce into squares (fleckerl) after which baked with cooked ham and Asiago. The home made pasta is straightforward to make. However, you may cheat by utilizing ready-made lasagne pasta sheets. An excellent tacky pasta bake that every one the household will love!
Italian recipe with a German identify.
Often called schunchenfletz within the South Tyrol, this baked pasta with ham and cheese is a simplified model of one other native dish referred to 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, the vast majority of individuals there use German after they write and converse in an Austro-Bavarian or South Tyrolean dialect.
As you may think about, the South Tyrolean delicacies could be very influenced by the Austrian kitchen. In actual fact, schinkenfleckerl is a conventional dish in Austria, the place many retailers promote ‘fleckerl’, ready-made egg pasta squares. In addition they make one other conventional dish with this pasta referred to as krautfleckerl with cabbage and bacon.
What are pasta squares referred to as in Italian?
Outdoors of the South Tyrol, Italians don’t use the identify 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 kind of pastina and principally utilized in soups and broth.
In some Italian recipes, the identify quadrotti is used to seek advice from barely bigger pasta squares. However that can also be a well-liked identify for sq. ravioli!
Bigger pasta squares are sometimes referred to as fazzoletti in Italian that 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 referred to 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 measurement, we will additionally name this a kind of maltagliati.
Maltagliati means badly reduce in Italian and there are a lot of forms of flat pasta items which might be known as maltagliati. These embody pasta reduce into triangles, rhomboids, rectangles and squares! Some have a special identify 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 an exquisite ebook referred to as the Encyclopaedia of pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita. It is a nice useful resource for pasta lovers. It consists of actually tons of of forms of pasta and pasta dishes and is stuffed with historic and geographical info.
It isn’t a recipe ebook as there are not any lists of substances or detailed recipe directions. However, it’s a reference ebook that information all the standard forms of pasta in Italy from probably the most obscure to probably the most well-known!
In keeping 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 ebook belonging to a sure de Montel household that dates again to earlier than 1820. The ebook 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 principle substances though I didn’t use rye flour which this recipe requires. Rye flour is a conventional ingredient within the South Tyrolean kitchen. They use it to make each bread and pasta.
Tips on how to make this ham and cheese pasta bake recipe.
No matter 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 combined with a lot of butter and cheese after which layered with items of ham and baked till the tacky prime has melted and turn into a bit browned.
Other than making the recent pasta, this recipe requires little or no preparation. All you must do is soften butter and reduce the ham and cheese into small cubes. Then parboil the pasta and blend it with the opposite substances and bake. Straightforward proper? Additionally an amazing recipe for leftover vacation ham.
The cheese.
I made this recipe with Asiago. It is a superb 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 couple of,000 metres above sea stage.
Clearly, that cheese isn’t simply out there 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 reduce into squares. The pasta is similar as for lasagna. It has simply smooth 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, you must roll it out into sheets after which reduce into squares. You should utilize a pasta machine (as we did) or roll the dough out with a rolling pin.
In the event you don’t wish to make your personal pasta for this recipe, simply half prepare dinner dried lasagne sheets in boiling salted water, drain them and reduce 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 few 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.
You probably have leftovers, you may 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 assume.
Whether or not you make this South Tyrolean ham and cheese pasta bake with recent home made pasta squares or utilizing prepared lasagne sheets, it is 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. Positively one to strive!
In the event you do do that recipe, I’d like to know what you assume. Please write a remark right here on the weblog or publish a touch upon the Pasta Mission 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 home made pasta squares however you may as well use prepared lasagne sheets as an alternative. An excellent household baked pasta recipe made with pantry staples.
Substances
To make the pasta dough
- 7 oz Italian ’00’ smooth wheat flour (200g) or all goal flour
- 2 eggs (massive)
- 1 pinch salt
To complete the dish
- 7 oz Asiago cheese (200g) or gruyere, fontina and so on reduce into cubes
- 5 oz cooked ham (150g) reduce 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 excellent simply roughly the identical measurement.
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 a substitute of creating recent pasta, you need to use prepared made lasagne sheets. Partly boil them in salted water, drain and funky. Then reduce into small squares.
Leftovers could be stored within the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days and reheated within the microwave.
Tips on how 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 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 smooth 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, reduce off one third and rewrap the remaining. Roll the dough piece out so you may cross it by a pasta machine.
7. Go the dough by the widest setting in your machine. Then fold it in thirds and repeat twice.
8. Then, cross 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 cross 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. It’s also possible to 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 interested by studying learn how to make different forms of home made pasta and several types of gnocchi? Then take a look at my store web page for some nice video on-line programs from my associates in Rome! Nothing beats studying to make pasta from Italians! Plus whilst you’re there why not order a replica of considered one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some really useful pasta making instruments?
Extra Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol
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