Tour of Europe: San Marino's meal

Our next European country we are visiting is San Marino,officially the Republic of San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino.  It is an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy, on the border between the regions of Emilia Romagna and Marche and about 6.21 miles from the Adriatic coast at Rimini. San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe, with only Vatican City and Monaco being smaller. It is also the fifth smallest country in the world. The cuisine of San Marino is extremely similar to Italian, especially of the adjoining Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions, but it has a number of its own unique dishes and products.

Menu: Vincisgrassi (mushroom lasagna), Piadina (flatbread) with Fontina and Prosciutto, Cacciatello (creme caramel), served with wines of the region:  Lambrusco and Sangiovese

Wines from Italy, but close to San Marino

Outcome:   Delizioso!!  We really had a winner with this country.  Everyone loved the mushroom lasagna made with white sauce, the starter of the flatbread was a hit, and the dessert -- creamy custard topped with caramel?  What's not to love about that?  100% success!  See each recipe for info. 

Next up:  Brandi chose the Netherlands!

 

Vincisgrassi (Mushroom Lasagna)

Vincisgrassi: an epic lasagna: Le Marche's version of lasagna is a rich, baked pasta dish of epic proportions –Vincisgrassi is a specialty of this part of Italy and San Marino. The story goes that it was named after an Austrian general Windisch Graets, who was with his troops in Ancona in 1799 during the Napoleonic War.

Ingredients

PASTA

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 whole eggs plus 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon salt

SAUCE

• 4 cups sliced Porcini mushrooms
• 6 oz. Parma Ham, cut into thin strips
• 2 pt. milk, heated
• ¾ cup flour
• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup cream
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• Salt black pepper
• 6 oz. grated good Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. For the pasta: make a dough from the pasta ingredients, knead well and roll through a pasta machine as you would for lasagna. Cut the pasta lengths into squares approximately 12.5cm square. Cook the squares in plenty of boiling salted water, a few at a time. Place on linen cloths to drain.
2. For the béchamel sauce: melt 3 Tbsp. butter, add the flour and mix well. Add the warmed milk, a little at a time, whisking well. Sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil and add to the béchamel. Add in the ham, cream and parsley, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.

   

   Oh, all of that mushroomy goodness!

3. To assemble the Vincisgrassi: Butter a 9 x 13 dish and cover the bottom with a layer of pasta, then spread over a layer of béchamel, dot with butter and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. 
   
4. Continue the process making layer after layer, finishing with a béchamel layer and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. 
5. Cook in an oven preheated to 425°F for 20 minutes.

   

   Oh my, heavenly!

Piadina with Fontina and Prosciutto

Piadina is a thin Italian flatbread, typically prepared in the Romagna region. It is usually made with white flour, lard or olive oil, salt and water. The dough was traditionally cooked on a terracotta dish) although nowadays flat pans or electric griddles are commonly used. Piadina usually sold immediately after preparation in specialized kiosks (called piadinerie) filled with a variety of cheeses, cold cuts and vegetables, but also with sweet fillings such as jam or Nutella.

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 stick butter, cut into ½ inch pieces, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tsp lemon zest (from about 2 small lemons)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz. fontina cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 4 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Combine the flour, baking soda and 1 tsp salt in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the butter and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
2. With the mixer running, slowly add 10 to 12 tablespoons water until the mixture forms a dough around the hook. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form into disk shapes and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into an 8-to-10-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. 
4. Brush each circle with the olive oil and grill for 4 minutes each side. Remove the piadina from the grill to cool slightly.
5. Combine the ricotta cheese and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread each piadina with ½ cup of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle the fontina cheese evenly over the ricotta cheese. Arrange 2 prosciutto slices on top of the cheeses. Cut each piadina into 8 wedges and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the chopped basil.

   

   Piadina!

Cacciatello (Crème Caramel)

This is similar to the custard/sugar/caramel that is seen in France as Crème Brulee (the sugar on top, burnt with a torch), in Spain as Flan, or in France as Crème Caramel (sugar on the top and inverted.)  

After Christmas, I was at Wal-Mart and I found these adorable little silicone molds that look like mini Bundt cakes for cupcakes, Rice Krispy treats, etc. for 73 cents each!  Yay! These made perfect little molds for our custards.  

Mini Wilton molds!

Note:  I cooked the sugar too long and waited too long to add the custard to the molds, so the sugar set up like a lollipop in the bottom of the mold.  Next time I will be quicker in the process to have proper caramel. 

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg plus 3 egg yolks
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ cup crème fraiche
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp orange cognac (such as Grand Marnier)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray 4 heatproof 6.5-oz. ramekins with vegetable spray. Place ramekins in a casserole dish.
2. Place ½ cup sugar in a small, heavy, dry skillet over medium heat. When sugar begins to melt around the edges, gently shake the pan continually, swirling sugar around, until all the sugar melts; don't use utensils to stir. When sugar is completely melted and dark brown, remove the pan from heat.
3. Quickly pour equal amounts of caramel syrup into the 4 prepared ramekins.
4. Place 1 egg and 3 egg yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt and ¼ cup sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture becomes frothy, about 1 minute.
5. Spoon the crème fraiche into the egg mixture; add the milk, vanilla, and Grand Marnier. Whisk together until ingredients are completely mixed.
6. Ladle mixture into the prepared ramekins, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
7. Fill casserole dish with hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place casserole dish on middle rack of preheated oven.
8. Bake until just barely set, 45 to 50 minutes. You can start checking for doneness at about 40 minutes. The carryover heat will cook them the last few minutes.
9. Using tongs, remove the ramekins from the casserole dish to a cooling rack. When just slightly warm, run a sharp paring knife around the edge of each custard.
10. To unmold, cover ramekin with a small plate, then invert. Chill before serving.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    

    Cacciatello