Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!
I don’t know if you have seen Captain Corelli’s Mandolin with Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz. Captain Antonio Corelli is a Greek-speaking officer of the Italian army with an irrepressibly jovial personality and a passion for the mandolin. The daughter of the village doctor, Pelagia, is an educated and strong-willed woman, and while at first offended by the Italian soldier’s behavior, she slowly warms to his certain charm as they are forced to share her father’s home when the doctor agrees to put him up in exchange for medical supplies.
As World War II grows closer, Antonio and Pelagia are forced to choose between their allegiances and the love they feel for one another – a love which must overcome tremendous odds, and endure the inevitable sacrifice which accompanies devotion.
This movie is based on a real story and I can tell you it is not the only one. Many Italians who came-with the help of Nazis- as conquerors eventually, they found themselves conquered by the mighty ancient god-son of Aphrodite- Cupid. When Italy lost the war against Greece in 1940, Mussolini asked for help from his ally Hitler. He came to his rescue and eventually Greece was conquered.
In some places Italians took control and these areas were very lucky, because Italians were unbelievably more linear and more human than the Nazis towards the locals and after a point they helped them survive the terrible situation they were found in. There are many stories such that of Captain Corelli, of people who fell in love with Greek girls. Some of them had a fine ending and some were scattered by the winds of war.
Since Italy is a country of the Mediterranean, its kitchen has many things in common with the Greek one. And as I was trying to find a way to make stuffed pasta without having to make my own dough from scratch, I remembered the movie and the love story. I love homemade pasta, but lately it seems that 24 hours are not enough for me. I started to deconstruct the ingredients from which homemade pasta is made and I was scraping my head trying to figure out how I can shortcut on the classic and suddenly an idea came to my mind. I was thinking of how dough is made and then I thought that puff pastry is very close to pasta dough. I decided to give it a try and I can tell you it was a total success. Their texture reminds you a bit of dumplings. I used fresh puff pastry but you might as well use frozen. I reused the leftovers after I made the ravioli, but in the end I got bored and whatever was left, I made them malfatti.
If you don’t feel like making your own pasta dough, but still want to enjoy homemade pasta do give this a try. Both the filling and the puff pastry were just perfect. Additionally, the sauce was completely restaurant like. You couldn’t say if it was made at home or by a chef in an Italian restaurant.
Menu 4
Appetizer
Caramelized Onions, Peppers and Cream Cheese Tart
Salad
Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms
Main Course
Pheasants in Wine Sauce with Bucatoni
Dessert
Chocolate, Mocha Mousse with Strawberries
- 3 puff pastry sheets
- 1 kilo / 2 lb. butternut squash cut in pieces
- 6 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cup beef stock
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- 1 stick of fresh thyme
- 1 stick of fresh sage
- 200 ml light cream 15% fat
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano
- Salt and pepper
- Either bake or boil the squash until soft.
- Mash it in a bowl and add the parmesan, salt and pepper, the nutmeg and the olive oil.
- Put aside.
- Take one puff pastry sheet and put it on a floured counter.
- With the rolling pin open it to make it a bit thinner than it already is.
- Put the short side towards you and cut it in strips of 8 cm / 3 in.
- In each strip ad 5 tsp of the mashed squash leaving about 2 cm. / 1 in. distance between them.
- Cover with the other strip and seal around the mashed squash.
- Cut either with a mold or with a knife and seal again to make sure that during boiling the filling won’t get out.
- Put them in a floured pan and flour them again, so as not to stick to each other.
- Now you can make another sheet with the remaining of the dough or simply make malfatti with them.
- Continue until all squash is used.
- Put aside and make the sauce.
- In a deep pan add the stock the sage and thyme and bring to boil.
- Boil for 3 minutes and then remove the two sticks.
- Add the cream, the evaporated milk, salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to slow and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the Marsala wine and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the parmesan and whisk until the cheese is dissolved completely.
- Boil pasta for about 3 to 5 minutes and then drain and throw it to the sauce pan.
- Cover the ravioli with the sauce and serve.
- 3 φύλλα σφολιάτας ή 30 σφολιατάκια στρογγυλά
- 1 κιλό κολοκύθα κομμένη σε κομμάτια
- 6 κ.σ. Parmigiano Reggiano
- ½ κ.γ. μοσχοκάρυδο
- 4 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- 1 ½ φλ. ζωμό βοδινού
- ½ φλ. κρασί Μαρσάλα ή κάποιο άλλο γλυκό όπως Σάμου ή Μοσχάτο
- 1 κλωναράκι φρέσκο θυμάρι
- 1 κλωναράκι φρέσκο φασκόμηλο
- 200 ml κρέμα γάλακτος 15% λιπαρά
- ½ φλ. γάλα εβαπορέ
- ¼ φλ. Parmigiano Reggiano
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- Είτε ψήστε στο φούρνο ή βράστε την κολοκύθα, μέχρι να μαλακώσει.
- Λιώστε τη σε ένα μπολ και προσθέστε την παρμεζάνα, αλάτι και πιπέρι, το μοσχοκάρυδο και το ελαιόλαδο.
- Βάλτε στην άκρη.
- Πάρτε ένα φύλλο σφολιάτας και βάλτε το σε αλευρωμένο πάγκο.
- Με το πλάστη ανοίξτε το ώστε να λεπτύνει λίγο περισσότερο από ό, τι είναι ήδη.
- Βάλτε την κοντή πλευρά προς το μέρος σας και κόψτε σε λωρίδες των 8 cm.
- Σε κάθε λωρίδα τοποθετήστε 5 κουταλάκια του γλυκού πουρέ κολοκύθας αφήνοντας απόσταση περίπου 2 cm. μεταξύ τους.
- Καλύψτε με την άλλη λωρίδα σφολιάτας, και σφραγίστε γύρω γύρω από τον πουρέ.
- Κόψτε με ένα καλούπι για κουλουράκια ή με ένα μαχαίρι και σφραγίστε πάλι καλά γύρω γύρω για να είναι σίγουρο ότι κατά τη διάρκεια του βρασίματος δεν θα βγει έξω η γέμιση.
- Βάλτε τα σε ένα αλευρωμένο ταψί και αλευρώστε και πάλι έτσι ώστε να μην κολλήσουν μεταξύ τους.
- Τα περισσεύματα της ζύμης είτε τα ξανανοίγετε σε φύλλο και ακολουθείτε την ίδια διαδικασία ή τα βράζετε έτσι όπως είναι. Στην Αμερική τα λένε malfatti δηλαδή κακοφτιαγμένα. Αν τα περιχύσετε με λίγη από τη σάλτσα είναι σούπερ.
- Συνεχίστε έως ότου όλη η κολοκύθα χρησιμοποιηθεί.
- Αν χρησιμοποιήσετε σφολιατάκια, βάλτε πάλι ένα κουταλάκι του γλυκού κολοκύθας και κλείστε γύρω γύρω όπως κάνετε τα τυροπιτάκια.
- Βάλτε στην άκρη και κάντε τη σάλτσα.
- Σε ένα βαθύ τηγάνι ρίξτε το ζωμό το φασκόμηλο και θυμάρι και βράστε.
- Βράστε για 3 λεπτά και στη συνέχεια αφαιρέστε τα δύο κλωνάρια.
- Προσθέστε την κρέμα, το γάλα εβαπορέ, αλάτι και πιπέρι.
- Μειώστε τη φωτιά στο χαμηλό και αφήστε να σιγοβράσουν για περίπου 5 λεπτά.
- Προσθέστε το κρασί Marsala και αφήστε να σιγοβράσουν για άλλα 10 λεπτά.
- Προσθέστε την παρμεζάνα και ανακατέψτε μέχρι το τυρί να διαλυθεί εντελώς.
- Βράστε τα ζυμαρικά για περίπου 3 έως 5 λεπτά και στη συνέχεια στραγγίστε και ρίξτε τα μέσα στη σάλτσα.
- Καλύψτε τα ραβιόλια με τη σάλτσα και σερβίρετε.
