Cappellacci Pasta with Prosciutto di Parma
Chef Accursio Lota’s Cappellacci Pasta recipe, filled with Prosciutto di Parma, mascarpone, prosciutto chips, and smoked tomato consommé embraces using the scraps, skin, fat and end piece of the whole Prosciutto di Parma leg. His elegant demonstration of using the whole leg ensures minimal waste in the kitchen. The end piece is particularly useful here, because it offers a sweeter, more complex flavor compared to the center of the leg. Chef Accursio completes the dish by topping it off with a smoked tomato and Prosciutto di Parma scrap consommé.
Ingredients
For the Pasta
500 grams flour
200 grams eggs yolk
1 to 2 whole egg
10 grams salt
10 grams extra virgin olive oil
For the Filling
300 grams scraps of Prosciutto di Parma, very finely chopped
300 grams, porcini mushrooms, diced
150 grams mascarpone cheese
100 grams ricotta
50 grams Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months, grated
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
2 tablespoon shallots, diced
½ cup Madeira wine
For the Smoked tomatoes consomme
3 tablespoons shallots, diced
1 pound of tomatoes grapes
¼ cup Prosciutto di Parma scraps, diced
1 cup Marsala wine
3 cups ice cubes
For the Clarification
2 white eggs, whipped
For the Dehydrate Prosciutto di Parma Chips
250 grams Prosciutto di Parma, sliced
For Garnish
3 leaves arugula
Instructions
For the Pasta
Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Create a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the shape. The dough will come together in a mass shape, when about half of the flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in small increments if the dough appears to be too sticky. Once the dough is in a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any leftover dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky.
Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. With a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll it until it’s thin and cut it into a square of 3 inches. Brush the perimeter of the single square with a light coat of egg, then fill the square with the ravioli mix, then close them by giving the classic cappellacci shape.
For the Filling
In a sauce pot, sauté the chopped scraps of prosciutto for about 3 minutes, then add the shallots. After 2 minutes, add the Madeira wine. Deglaze and then add the diced porcini mushrooms. Cook for about 4 more minutes, then cool the prosciutto and the mushrooms. When cold in a bowl, mix the prosciutto and mushroom base with the cheeses and thyme, then check the seasoning. Place the mix into a pastry bag then set aside for making the cappellacci.
For the Broth
In a stainless-steel container with a lid, smoke the grape tomatoes for about 5 minutes using mesquite wood. In a small stock pot, sauté the prosciutto, with the shallots, then add the smoked tomatoes and after 3-minutes, deglaze with the Marsala. When the wine is reduced, add the ice and bring to simmer, cook for about 10 minutes. Filter the stock and let cool down.
For the 2nd broth clarification
In a small stock pot, add the cold stock and mix it with the whipped white whites. Bring to 90°C and let it cook for 15 minutes. During this cooking time, the white eggs will coagulate and will trap all the impurities of the stock. Remove the stock from the white eggs by using a very fine consomme hose, so the consommé does not get mixed or stressed.
For the Dehydrated Prosciutto di Parma Chips
Slice the prosciutto and lay all the slices on top of each other, then roll it with plastic wrap and freeze it. When frozen, slice with a hand-crank slicer or electric meat slicer and sit on top of the baking paper. Dehydrate in the oven at about 200°F for about 2 hours. Keep the chips aside
Garnish with 3 leaves of arugula.
