Schinkenfleckerl Baked Pasta and Ham – The Pasta Undertaking

Schinkenfleckerl is a wealthy baked pasta and ham recipe from Italy’s South Tyrol and Austria. This ham and noodle casserole requires historically selfmade egg pasta squares baked with bitter cream, eggs, ham and breadcrumbs. After all, this dish might be made with different forms of pasta too.

The place is the South Tyrol?

Additionally referred to as the Alto Adige in Italian, this stunning mountain area lies in Northeast Italy, on the border with Austria. It’s a part of the autonomous Trentino-Alto Adige area.

This gorgeous a part of Italy stretches throughout the Dolomite Alps and is, in fact, very mountainous and lined in pine forests. The meals, tradition and way of life of the South Tyrol appears extra central European than Italian.

What’s fleckerl pasta?

Fleckerl pasta is historically selfmade egg pasta squares. This pasta is the premise of quite a lot of typical Austrian dishes resembling Krautfleckerl (cabbage and pasta) or Grenadiermarsch (potatoes, pasta and generally bacon of ham hock)) and the Schinkenfleckerl pasta and ham casserole on this recipe.

In The South Tyrol, Austria, Germany and Hungary, it’s doable to purchase dried fleckerl. These are often created from eggs and arduous wheat flour and will have barely ruffled edges.

You’ll find versons of krautfleckerl and/or grenadiermarsch in Hungarian, Croatian, Czech, Polish and German delicacies, in addition to different areas which had been a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Schinkenfleckerl, then again, appears to be largely an Austrian, German or Northern Italian recipe. Nonetheless, fleckerl pasta can be utilized in an analogous South Tyrolean recipe referred to as schunchenfletz, one other baked pasta and ham recipe which is a simplified model schinkenflekerl.

Italian recipes with German names.

The Italian South Tyrol was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire till 1919 and because of this quite a lot of typical native dishes have German names.

The truth is, though an Italian area, nearly all of folks on this a part of Italy use German after they write and converse in an Austro-Bavarian dialect.  Plus, most streets and cities have each an Italian and German identify.

What are pasta squares referred to as in different elements of Italy?

Outdoors of the South Tyrol, Italians don’t name egg pasta squares, fleckerl. The truth is, fleckerl pasta isn’t recognized in different elements of Italy. As an alternative, they confer with pasta squares as quadrucci or quadretti.

Nonetheless, this pasta is usually smaller than fleckerl and is usually utilized in soups and broths. Italian names for bigger pasta squares are quadrotti or fazzoletti.

How one can make selfmade fleckerl pasta.

The pasta on this schinkenfleckerl recipe is kind of simple to make. Principally the dough is similar as different egg pasta like lasagne with 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 roll it into sheets after which minimize it into squares. You should use a pasta machine (as we did) or roll the dough out with a rolling pin.

In case you don’t wish to make your individual pasta for this recipe, simply half cook dinner dried lasagne sheets or broad ribbons like pappardelle in boiling salted water, drain them and minimize them into squares as soon as they’ve cooled.

Alternatively, you should use prepared made contemporary lasagne sheets or broad egg pasta noodles.

Different components in schinkenfleckerl.

The ham.

Schinken means ham in German and cooked ham is probably the most conventional meat used on this South Tyrolean baked pasta recipe. You should use sliced or cubed ham. This can be a nice recipe for utilizing up leftover vacation ham too.

The eggs.

That is an egg wealthy recipe. Eggs are used to make the pasta and contained in the casserole too. So, this recipe requires 5-6 contemporary eggs, relying on the dimensions. I like to make use of contemporary giant natural eggs. These eggs are extra nutritious than others as a result of the hens are fed prime quality feed and reside higher lives.

Convey the eggs to room temperature earlier than utilizing in case you maintain them within the fridge.

Breadcrumbs.

You should use selfmade or store-bought breadcrumbs. Some folks sprinkle breadcrumbs excessive of the pasta and ham earlier than baking. I didn’t try this this time. Nonetheless, it does give the dish a barely crispy topping.

Butter and bitter cream.

As is widespread in Italy, I used unsalted butter. In case you use salted butter, don’t add salt to the pasta and ham combination when placing it collectively.

Bitter cream (panna acida) isn’t broadly out there right here in Italy, so after I can’t discover it, I make my very own with equal portions of contemporary cream and plain white yogurt, and a bit of contemporary lemon juice.

Alternatively, you may sub the bitter cream with crème fraiche. This can be a bit thicker than bitter cream and has the next fats content material, but it surely works nicely on this recipe.

How one can make schinkenfleckerl.

Upon getting made the pasta dough (see step-by-step directions under the recipe card) and rolled it out into sheets, you have to to chop it into 3x3cm (1.2in) squares. Place the prepared squares on a floured floor till it’s time to cook dinner them.

Professional Tip : The pasta squares don’t must be excellent simply roughly the identical measurement.

2. The subsequent step on this schinkenfleckerl recipe is to place a pot of water on to boil for the pasta and put together the opposite components. Lower the ham into small cubes. Subsequent separate the egg yolks and whites and cream the butter. Then butter an oven dish and coat the underside and sides with breadcrumbs.

3. Prepare dinner the pasta within the boiling salted water till al dente. Selfmade fleckerl takes about 5 minutes. Then drain the pasta and put it in a big bowl. Combine within the creamed butter and permit to chill.

4. Subsequent, add the crushed egg yolks, the bitter cream, and the ham. Combine all the pieces collectively and season with salt and pepper.

5. Whip the egg whites till stiff and fold them into the pasta and ham combination.

6. Pour the pasta and ham combination into the breadcrumb coated oven dish and bake for about 35-45 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°c. Enable your schinkenfleckerl to relaxation for five minutes earlier than chopping into parts and serving.

What to do with leftovers

When you have leftovers of this schinkenfeckerl baked pasta and ham, 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 or in a extremely popular oven.

Let me know what you assume.

Whether or not you make your individual pasta squares, use prepared dried fleckerl pasta or go for an additional kind of pasta, this baked noodle and ham casserole is certain to turn into a household favorite. It’s wealthy, creamy and so very tasty. The youngsters will find it irresistible too!

In case you do do this recipe, I’d love to listen to what you assume. Please do write a evaluation right here on the weblog or publish a touch upon the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your suggestions means rather a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Different household pleasant baked pasta recipes with ham.

1. Tagliolini au gratin from Venice.
2. Neapolitan baked ziti.
3. Lasagna Valdostana from The Aosta valley.
4. Neapolitan tagliolini pasta pie.
5. Baked pasta roses from Emilia-Romagna.

Pin for later.

How one can make contemporary egg pasta sheets.

Sift the flour right into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and a pair of eggs.

Beat the eggs with a fork after which combine them into the flour till they’re nicely included.

Utilizing your arms combine and knead till you have got a dough that not sticks to the perimeters of the bowl.

Flip the dough out onto a floured work floor or pastry board. Knead for 7-10 minutes till the dough is smooth, pliable, and elastic.

Roll the dough right into a ball. Wrap it in clingfilm or a humid tea towel and let it relaxation for about half-hour.

As soon as the dough has rested minimize off a 3rd and rewrap the remaining to maintain it from drying out. Flatten the dough piece you chop off together with your hand or a rolling pin so it is going to cross by way of the widest setting of your pasta machine.

Move the dough by way of the widest setting of your pasta machine. Fold it in thirds and cross it by way of once more. Do that 2 to three occasions. Then, cross the sheet by way of the machine 2 or 3 occasions extra on narrower settings.

The widest setting on my machine is 7. After 7 I then cross the dough by way of 5 after which 3. The dough sheet doesn’t must be tremendous skinny to make pasta squares. On some machines the widest setting is 1.

You can even simply roll out the dough with a rolling pin.

If you’re focused on studying how you can make different selfmade pasta and various kinds of gnocchi, try my store web page for some nice video on-line programs from my pals in Rome! Nothing beats studying to make pasta from Italians! Plus whilst you’re there why not order a replica of one among my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some really useful pasta making instruments?