Carmelita's Cookitaly

Conchiglioni al Forno

Conchiglioni is pronounced "con - kill -YAWN - eee" and Al Forno means baked 

You can fill pasta shells with practically anything, so having a free hand I decided on something light: a "trito" or chopped mixture, of fish and vegetables.

You can see my base ingredients, enough for 4 for a light lunch or for 2 greedy people, in the second picture in the gallery. I used:

- a medium sized Adriatic hake, a lovely firm white fish that is cheap in Italy because it is not particularly appreciated, whereas in Spain it is a much sought after delicacy
 - a leek, green part only, sliced
 - a carrot, diced
 - a "leaf" of fresh bulb fennel, also diced
 - some fresh thyme

I softened the vegetables in good olive oil and put some pasta water on to boil. I rinsed the fish and cut it into chunks and when the pasta water came to the boil I lowered the heat and popped the fish pieces in to poach gently. After 4 minutes or so I scooped them back out and left them to cool a little before removing skin and bones using my hands - the best way to detect any small bones that you really don't want to find when you eat the filled Conchiglioni.

I had been keeping an eye on the vegetables and adding a little of the pasta water from time to time so they softened without frying. Now I added the flaked fish, seasoned them well with salt and pepper, and cooked everything together for a few minutes for the flavours to blend. Then I turned off the heat so the mixture cooled down a little..

I then salted the water and tipped in about 250g of shells (8 oz) - rather more than I needed but a few might tear while cooking - and remembered to turn on the oven to preheat at 180 °C ( 350° F). The packet said to cook the pasta for 15 minutes so I timed them for 10, then scooped them up with a one handled sieve, shook off the water and left them to cool a little. I proceeded to fill them, still using my fingers - food can and should be touched with clean bare hands, as far as I am concerned - and placed them one by one in the oiled dish in which they would complete their cooking.

I added a little pasta water to the bottom of the dish to help finish the cooking, covered with foil and baked them all for about 15 minutes.

I did add a little water  - my filling was not at all wet so they needed some extra  - and left them in until the top was well coloured and had developed some of those special crunchy bits. If you'd prefer a wetter filling you can add a little cream or bechamel, just mix it into the fish and vegetable mixture.

Once out of the oven I scattered over a few thyme leaves and grated over a little Parmigiano-Reggiano. Yes I know there is a great ban on using cheese on fish Primi but many traditional baked and stuffed fish recipes pair cheese and fish - I'll post at least one here in future - so I went ahead, it was just a little.

I have to tell you it was an exceptionally good dish, tasty, healthy and supremely satisfying. You can serve a large portion as a one dish meal, a small portion as a Primo, or just a few prettily plated as Antipasto. The Conchiglioni are also good cold, and can be served individually in small paper cups as delicious nibbles to accompany drinks.

Buom Appetito, go buy a fish!

Mafalde

You probably haven't ever seen these. They are clearly from the South, given the ripple edges, and are "Pasta Compra"  or bought pasta rather than a "Pasta Fatta in Casa" or home made pasta.

These frilly durum wheat sheets are considerably wider than egg pasta Pappardelle at 6 centimetres or about 2 and a quarter inches wide, yet  narrower than the similarly rippled edged sheets used for Naples Lasagna, which are about 9 centimetres or 3 and a half inches wide. 

What does their name mean? Well, round the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, so not long after the unification of Italy in 1861, it was quite the thing to name dishes and pasta shapes in honour of the Royal family. Think of the Pizza Margherita named for Queen Margherita di Savoia in 1889 for example. It seems likely that this pasta is named after Princess Mafalada, the little girl born to King Victor Emmanuel III  and Queen Margerita in 1902 - which explains why many elderly ladies also bear this name. There are narrower Mafalde called Mafaldine or little Mafalde, and an even narrower ruffled edged noodle is called Regine (Queens) or Reginette (little Queens), presumably in honour of Mafalda's Mum.

I have not come across any recipes for such wide noodles, nor have i ever eaten a dish made with them. I bought them out of curiosity, and for a new pasta experience. The recipes I have seen for "Mafalde" all have pictures where the pasta looks narrower, more like Mafaldine than these big babies to me. The recipes dress the Mafald(in)e most commonly with tomato and ricotta or meat ragù and ricotta. But I have also come across recipes for sauces made with  dried mushrooms and pancetta, with chick peas and mussels, and even lemon and arugula.

As for the Mafalde that I have, I just can't see trying to twirl them on a fork and bring them to your mouth in anything  remotely resembling a decorous fashion. I will make a baked a pasta dish with them one of these days, and when I do I will share the recipe with you.