Passport & Plate - Italian Veal & Parmesan Pie
Italy | Thursday, March 13, 2014 | 4 photos
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup (50 grams) parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup (118 ml) ice water
For the filling:
• 450 grams veal steak, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup (55g) butter, preferably unsalted
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large onion cut into large chunks/slices
• 2 cups of mixed capsicums; red, green and yellow – large pieces
• 2 large field mushrooms – large slices
• 250ml thickened cream
• 1 teaspoon dry basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
How to prepare this recipeInstructions to make the crust:
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, then get your hands in there and rub until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cumin seeds with a fork. Bit by bit spoon in the water to gather together mixture into a firm but pliable dough, handling as little as possible once you’ve achieved that. At this point in the procedure you split the dough in two; flatten then wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm – say 20 minutes.
You can, of course, miss all the fun and pulse the flour, cheese, salt and butter in a food processor but where’s the love in that?!
MEANWHILE … Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).
Make the filling:
Coat the veal cubes with the seasoned flour. In a large pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter add the garlic and brown the veal. Add the thickened cream and simmer til it thickens slightly. Cover and simmer until meat is tender. Cool to room temperature.
Now comes the fun part! With the remaining raw veggies I want you to start layering veal then veg; veal then veg and so on til you have a small mountain. Carefully place the pastry top on, overlapping the edges of the pie shell; flute the edges so they stay together; pierce here and there with a fork and finally brush with your favourite basting fluid to make it brown nicely (I used egg yolk). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Goes well with a leafy salad on the side.
Buon Appetite OR Mangare!
The story behind this recipeI’m homesick! I’m not Italian but Europe runs deep in my soul…
At the age of 19 (straight out of training) I left Australia to become a Ballet Dancer in Europe. So simple was the thought and not so simple the reality. And along the way I learnt about so many customs and traditions – all those things that make hearts sing.
When I was poor, doing the ‘starving artist’ stint in Austria, I lived on Sauerkraut and Knackwurst. When times were good there were plenty of Antipasto platters, grappa and local wines to feed the masses. In saying this I realize that I must be the Anthropologist of the group because of recognising the social habits and traditions that accompany food and the pleasures of eating, not only in Italy but all of Europe. Food brings out the festive gene in people. It is also a safe place to share the finer details of say, love won or lost; moments of celebration or commiseration between compatriots; and we even ‘wake’ the dead with a feast and a toast or two!
Living practically on the border of Italy we often had visiting soloists from La Scala or Teatro dell’Opera di Roma to sing in the Graz Opera House. As one of our favourites was coming to perform, my housemates and I searched for a recipe so we could offer them a homemade meal. Joshua was coming to sing Scarpia in Puccini’s opera “Tosca” and even though he wasn’t actually an Italian, he lived the style and heart of an Italian in Rome with his wife and family.
This is what we found – a Veal Pie to satisfy his American traditions and a Parmesan Crust to appeal to his adopted Italian tastebuds. I hadn’t made this in a long while (years in fact) but it turned out really well and tasted great – as it should!
Serving this up to my housemates for dinner created an atmosphere where we could all share food and travel stories. Once again, the sense of community was revived and a little wine enhanced our tales even more and made for a merry evening.
