L'Italo-Americano

LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano U m b r i a , t h e green heart of rural Italy, is a small region h a l f w a y b e t w e e n R o m e a n d F l o - rence. Blanketed in forests, olive groves and dotted with medieval hill towns, Umbria may be as close as you can g e t t o e x p e r i e n c i n g t h a t heart-warming daydream often associated with the Italian countryside. Here, life still revolves around a cycle of holidays a n d f e s t i v a l s . M a n y a r e derived from ancient rituals that marked the changing of the seasons, the planting and harvesting of crops, or proclaimed the position of the stars. T h i s r e l a t i v e l y s i m p l e l i f e s t y l e m e a n s t h a t C h r i s t m a s t i m e i n Umbria is quiet and beau- tiful.The glitzy commercial- i s m o f c i t i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d i s f a r a w a y . O u r medieval towns are decorat- ed with simple threads of lights and a tree in the cen- tral piazzas. You can spend the weekends visiting cute c r a f t m a r k e t s a n d w o r k yourself into a sugar high with all the chocolate and s w e e t s a t t r a c t i v e l y d i s - played in almost every vit- rine. Holiday meals are taken s e r i o u s l y a s f a m i l i e s w i l l often gather in large num- b e r s , a n d p e o p l e s t a r t preparing in advance for at l e a s t f o u r m a i n m e a l s : Christmas Eve, Christmas Day (Natale), New Year's E v e a n d N e w Y e a r ' s D a y (Capodanno). In Umbria, the center- piece of the Christmas meal is a beautiful bowl of cap- p e l l e t t i p a s t a . C a p p e l l e t t i i s a s t u f f e d pasta similar to tortellini, but smaller and shaped like a bycocket, a pointed hat q u i t e c o m m o n i n E u r o p e throughout the Middle Ages and most commonly associ- a t e d w i t h R o b i n H o o d . But no, the English hero did not invent the cappelletti. The pointed hat is also seen in Italian medieval paint- ings dating from the same p e r i o d t h a t s t u f f e d p a s t a makes an appearance on the Italian table, which proba- bly explains its name. Cappelletti is tradition- ally served for Christmas l u n c h i n a c a p o n s t o c k . F a m i l i e s g a t h e r i n t h e kitchen for days to prepare t h o u s a n d s o f l i t t l e h a t s . E a c h f a m i l y h a s i t s o w n recipe and takes great pride in both the quality of the meat used for the filling and the paper-thin pasta sheets that are still rolled today by t h e e x p e r t h a n d s o f t h e elderly women of the fami- ly. I f y o u o w n a p a s t a machine and enjoy making p a s t a , y o u w i l l f i n d t h e process of making cappel- letti very relaxing, especially if you have company to help you. If capon is not avail- able, cappelletti in a simple chicken or turkey broth will still make a heart-warming and elegant first course. For the pasta dough: • 2 eggs 2 0 0 g ( 1 3 / 4 c u p s ) 0 0 flour For the filling: • 60 g (2 oz) each of fine- ly minced turkey (or chick- en) breast, pork and beef • 30 g ( 1 oz) each of mor- t a d e l l a , h a m a n d g r a t e d Parmigiano • a pinch of salt, nutmeg and black pepper • 1/4 cup dry white wine • 2-3 liters (2-3 quarts) h o m e m a d e c h i c k e n o r turkey stock Start by making the stock so that it will have plenty of time to simmer away while you are preparing the rest of the dish. To make the filling: Heat a heavy-bottomed shallow pan, add two table- spoons of extra virgin olive o i l a n d s a u t é t h e m i n c e d meat on a medium to high heat until just starting to brown. Increase the heat to high, deglaze with the white wine, sprinkle with the salt, nutmeg and black pepper. Set aside to cool. In a food processor, pulse the cooked meat, mortadel- l a , h a m a n d g r a t e d P a r m i g i a n o u n t i l f i n e l y ground. The filling should be fairly dry. To form the cappellet- ti: Using the flour and eggs make the pasta dough in a f o o d p r o c e s s o r . U s i n g a p a s t a m a c h i n e , r o l l t h e dough into thin sheets 12-13 cm (5 inches) wide. Trim the sheets to a rectangular s h a p e a n d i m m e d i a t e l y r e u s e t h e s c r a p s t o m a k e m o r e s h e e t s . I f t h e a i r humidity is low, cover the pasta sheets with a dry cot- ton towel. U s i n g a p a s t a o r p i z z a w h e e l , c u t e v e r y s h e e t lengthwise into 3 equally wide strips, then cut across into approximately 4x4 cm ( 1 1 / 2 x 1 1 / 2 i n c h e s ) squares. Place tiny mounds of the meat filling atop each s q u a r e o f p a s t a . E a c h mound should not be bigger than 1/4 of a teaspoon or the size of a large hazelnut. Now make a triangular parcel by folding the square over by a corner, and seal it by pressing the open sides. Take the parcel and pinch the ends together to obtain a little hat. Transfer to a floured tea towel to dry. To serve the cappelletti in the traditional way, boil them for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in plenty of stock of your choice (chicken, capon or turkey) and serve them w i t h t h e b r o t h i n d e e p bowls. You can also cook them in salted water and toss them with butter and Parmigiano. In either way they are divine. The recipe makes about 170-180 cap- pelletti. You will need about 25 per person. Letizia Mattiacci is a c o o k b o o k a u t h o r a n d owner of Alla Madonna del Piatto Cooking School and A g r i t u r i s m o i n A s s i s i , U m b r i a , h t t p s : / / i n c a m - pagna.com. This recipe has been previously published in Mrs. Mattiacci cookbook entitled "Festa Italiana." Cappelletti in brodo are a Christmas staple in a many Italian homes (Photo courtesy of Letizia Mattiacci) A Christmas classic: cappelletti in brodo LETIZIA MATTIACCI

• Cover