Roman Pie
Submitted by sunshyne
Roman pie is a chilled, layered pasta terrine: cheesy macaroni, turkey, mushrooms, ham, and anchovy set in jellied consomme. A make-ahead Italian-style centerpiece served cool and sliced like a cake.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThis is showstopper cooking from another era, a cold layered pasta pie meant to be assembled a day ahead and sliced at the table like a savory cake. Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you off; it builds in distinct stages, each one stacked and pressed into a deep dish.
The foundation is a rich cheese sauce, a classic bechamel enriched with cream, sharp Cheddar, Parmesan, and a whisper of nutmeg, then folded through al dente corkscrew macaroni. Go easy on the salt, because the ham, anchovy, and cheeses bring plenty of their own.
A clever trick: the mushrooms get sauteed in a dry non-stick pan with no fat, which drives off their water and concentrates their flavor instead of stewing them.
You layer the turkey, the savory ham-and-anchovy mixture, and the cheesy pasta, pressing each tier down with a potato masher so the pie holds together when cut. Then jellied consomme is poured over to set everything into a sliceable terrine.
The overnight chill is what makes it. The flavors marry and the layers firm into clean, jewel-toned slices.
Chef Tips
- Salt cautiously at every step, since the anchovies, ham, and cheeses already carry a lot of salt.
- Dry-saute the mushrooms with no fat to concentrate their flavor and keep the pie from going watery.
- Press each layer firmly with a potato masher so the finished slices hold clean lines.
- Make it a day ahead and chill overnight, then bring it back to room temperature about two hours before serving so the flavors open up.
Variations
- Swap the turkey for cooked chicken, and use whatever cured meats you like in place of the ham and tongue.
- Leave out the anchovies for a milder version.
- Brighten the layers with a few sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers.
Ingredients
Directions
Make a smooth, rich sauce with the butter, flour, milk, and cream. Let it simmer for about 4 minutes.
Then, away from the heat, stir in the grated Cheddar and Parmesan, a seasoning of nutmeg and some salt and pepper - but go carefully with the salt in view of the cheeses and salted meats used in this dish.
Let the sauce cool while you cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water until al dente.
Plunge the pasta in cold water to arrest cooking, drain well and stir it into the sauce.
Slice the mushrooms thickly and sauté them well in a non-stick pan with no fat.
Season them with about 1½ teaspoon lemon juice, plenty of pepper and a little salt and allow to become cold.
Then cut the turkey meat into pieces about the width and half the length of your little finger, and mix the poultry and mushrooms together.
Cut the ham, tongue and drained anchovies into strips about the same length as the poultry but considerably less wide.
Mix the anchovies, ham, and tongue with a good quantity of fairly coarsely chopped parsley.
Sprinkle about one third to half of the ham mixture over the base of a shallow dish of 4 to 4½ pint capacity.
Cover with half the macaroni mixture, then all the turkey mixture, then the rest of the macaroni.
Spread each layer evenly and press down into the dish with a potato masher before adding the next layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Arrange the remaining ham mixture on top and scatter the olives to make a decorative display of the pink, green and black ingredients.
Press down lightly then pour on enough barely melted consomme or cool jellied stock to cover. Cover the dish and refrigerate for a few hours until set.
Better still, refrigerate Roman pie overnight to allow flavors to blend and mature, but be sure to bring it back to room temperature at least two hours before serving.
Comments
when do you use the sauce you made first?
The fourth paragraph: "Plunge the pasta in cold water to arrest cooking, drain well and stir it into the sauce." Hope this helps and happy cooking :)