Ziti Med Engsnelle
Ingredienser
Til sausen
40 gram smør
2 store hvitløksbåter
70 gram parmasan
100 gram parmaskinke
2 korn med svart pepper
70 gram sjalottløk
Engsmelle: 85 gram frisk eller 135 gram ferdig forvellet
Salt
Vann
Til pastaen
240 gram Ziti tagliati (alternativt kan du bruke penne)
5 liter vann
30 gram salt
Fremgangsmåte
Kok opp 5 liter vann i en kjele med lokk. Mens du venter på at vannet koker opp: Sett en stekepanne på lav varme, ha smøret og hvitløksbåtene i pannen. Riv parmasanosten mens smøret smelter og sett den tilside. Tilsett parmaskinken til det smeltede smøret, og la den steke sakte. Snu på skinken med jevne mellomrom, og stek til den er sprø. Pass på at ikke smøret brenner seg og blir brunt, slik at du senere kan bruke det til å steke sjalottløken.
Knus pepperkornene i en morter og sett tilside.
Når skinken er sprøstekt; ta den ut av stekepannen og sett den tilside.
Finhakk sjalottløken og stek de i stekepannen på medium varme (hvis smøret har blitt brunt mens du stekte løken; hell det av, tørk av pannen, ta nytt smør å tilsett en klype salt for og erstatte saltet fra skinken)
Når vannet til pastaen koker, tilsett 30 gram salt og tilsett zitien. Rør rundt fra tid til annen slik at de ikke klistrer seg sammen.
Når sjalottløken er gjennomstekt; senk varmen og tilsett engsmellen. Rør hyppig og smak til med salt. Fersk engsmelle trenger en koketid på 5-6 minutter på svak varme. For å hindre at det blir forlite væske kan man gradevis tilsette 1-2 øser vann. Mens engsmellen kokes; hakk den sprøstekte skinken, og sett tilside
4.
Chopping the Bladder Campion
The cooked Bladder Campion
One chef knife
One chopping board
The frying pan
When ready, take the Bladder Campion out of the frying pan and chop it quite finely with a chef knife: a food processor would almost puree it(step 4 - pic. A).
When the pasta is ready to be strained, put the Bladder Campion back into the frying pan on a medium high heat(step 4 - pic. B).
5.
Straining the ziti
The frying pan with the cooked Bladder Campion
One ladle
One large strainer or a pasta server
Check the cooking time instructions on the pasta bag and remember that you will need to take the ziti out of the water just one or two minutes earlier.
Collect about 20ml or 25ml of cooking water with a ladle and put it aside in a small receptacle.
Drain the pasta thoroughly with a strainer. Do not let it dry completely: the water that coasts the ziti will protect them form the thermic shock they will go through when tossing on the frying pan. As an alternative, you can use a pasta server and move the pasta directly from the saucepan to the frying pan.
Note about the correct cooking point "al dente”
“Al dente” literally means “to the tooth”. It indicates the perfect consistency that pasta, or any other food, should have at the end of the cooking process: not too soft and not too hard at chewing. Pasta cooked “al dente” maintains a harder consistency at the centre of the dough sheet which gives the diners a pleasant feeling of “biting” rather than “mushing” something under their teeth..
6.
Binding the Ziti with Bladder Campion, ham and cheese
The cooked Ziti
The frying pan with the cooked Bladder Campion
The chopped Parma ham
The grated black pepper - 2gr or to taste
Cooking water - one or two ladles
The grated parmigiano cheese - 70gr
One large strainer or a pasta server
One ladle
Two wooden spoons or silicon spatulas (if necessary)
Immediately add all ziti to the Bladder Campion. Stir and toss quickly with the two spoons then add one ladle of cooking water and keep tossing and stirring frequently(step 6 - pic. A).
Add the black pepper - all the 2gr or to taste - and the chopped ham, stir evenly and add another small ladle of water. Do not let it dry completely: it will moist the Parmigiano cheese(step 6 - pic. B).
Take the pan away from the heat and add 2/3 of the Parmigiano cheese and the minced parsley, toss and stir again(step 6 - pic. C).
Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano cheese on top and serve immediately.
Note about binding pasta
As well as for rice, almost all recipes require pasta to be bound together with its sauce and tossed over heat. This allows the sauce to grab on the surface of pasta, wether it is smooth or lined or copper drawn, so that every forkful will have its perfect balance of flavours and textures. Otherwise, sauce would slip away while eating and you would end up with a good quantity of the sauce still on the bottom of the bowl.
Another very good idea, even if not allowed by etiquette, is to eat pasta, any kind of pasta, with some nice fresh crusty bread. Bread’s starchy flavour enhances both flavours of sauce and pasta dough itself.
