Italians in IrelandAn authentic Italian menu, from the Emilia Romagna region, from Paolo Zanni, chairman of the Irish delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Starter: Tagliatelle al Ragu(serves four)
400g homemade egg tagliatelle (made with 400g plain flour and 4 extra large eggs)
200g ground beef
200g ground pork
250g good-quality Italian tinned peeled tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
5ooml of stock (chicken or beef)
2 tablespoons of finely chopped Parma ham
1 glass of dry white wine
Salt and pepper
Tagliatelle:Make the flour in the shape of a volcano and place the eggs in the middle. Work the eggs into the flour by slowly drawing in the flour with a fork. Knead the mixture with your hands for at least 30 minutes, until very smooth. Put in a covered container and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough using a rolling pin, or a pasta machine, until about one millimetre thick. Roll up the dough (like a piece of paper) and use a sharp knife cut out one-centimetre thick strips. Open up the strips up and let them dry for 20 minutes. (If dried property the pasta can last for 10-15 days.)
Meat Sauce:Fry the onion in olive oil or butter until golden brown. Add the beef and pork and fry until brown (around 15 minutes). Add the wine then lower the heat and add the tomatoes.
Slowly add up to half a litre of stock, ladle by ladle, stirring continuously. Let the sauce simmer for two hours at least. After about an hour add the Parma ham and salt and pepper.
Boil the freshly made tagliatelle for three to four minutes, or see cooking times on the package if you are using bought pasta. Add the meat sauce, put a touch of extra virgin olive oil on top and serve hot.
Serve with red wine from the Emilia Romagna region such as a gently sparkling red from Lambrusco, Grasparossa di Castelvetro
Main Course:Costolette alla Parmigiana con Patate al Forno
4 thinly-cut veal chops
3 extra large eggs
200g breadcrumbs
100g butter
80g grated Parmesan cheese (24 months old)
Salt and pepper
800g potatoes
1 clove of garlic
bunch of rosemary
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Costolette:Beat the eggs in a bowl. Dip the veal chops in the beaten eggs and then roll in the breadcrumbs, dip again in the beaten eggs and finally roll in the Parmesan cheese.
Fry the veal chops in the butter in a pan until they are golden brown. Once they are cooked, season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a slice of lemon.
Potatoes:Peel and chop potatoes into small cubes. Add a mixture of garlic, rosemary and salt (all finely chopped) and the olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Place in the oven at 200 Celsius for an hour.
Serve with a red wine from the Emilia Romagna region, such as a Sangiovese di Romagna Riserva
Dessert:Chiacchiere - traditional fried pastry desert made for carnival
500g white plain flour
4 extra large eggs
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 glass of cognac
30g softened butter
1 litre of vegetable oil
Salt
Icing sugar
Mix the flour and sugar together. Add the soft butter, the eggs and the cognac. Work all of the ingredients together until smooth then let it rest for two hours in a warm place.
With a rolling pin, roll out the mixture to about two millimetres in thickness. Cut out strips about 10cm x 3cm. Fry the strips in oil. Place on a try with blotting paper underneath, to absorb the excess oil. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately.
Serve with a good Italian dessert wine, such as an Albana di Romagna, Moscato or a Passito.