AT ONE OF THE LAST outposts in Italy, deep in the Dolomites, there is a town called Bolzano. Hidden in a valley dominated by high and craggy mountains, it defines this area, otherwise known as the provence of Alto Adige (formerly the Sud Tyrol of Austria) of which, Bolzano is its capital. Not Italian, not Austrian, it is not so much delineated by country as by custom and here one finds men wearing lederhosen and women wearing more Austrian-looking garb than what one would find anywhere else in Italy. Indeed, even the street signs and signs on the Autostrada reflect this bi-lingualism as everything is in Italian and German.
This is a fun fact: Bolzano was an old Roman outpost which was commanded by the general and consul, Nero Claudius Drusus. Made more famous by Robert Graves in I, Claudius, he was Tiberius's older brother and Claudius's father, and the grandfather of Caligula! He was also Augustus Caesar's adopted son and heir to the Empire. In I, Claudius, his mother Livia had him poisoned so Tiberius could become Emperor but in reality, this professional soldier died from a fall from his horse. Fate's a funny thing ain't it?!
Another extremely fun fact and then I'll shut up and talk about food: It appears that Bolzano and Bologna are in fierce competition as the two cities with the highest quality of life in Italy. Bolzano won in 2010 and 2012; Bologna in 2011. This must come from the fact that there is very little industry in Bolzano, the air is clean, and the climate is milder than what one would expect for an Alpine town.
Gastronomically speaking, the fare is both Italian and Austrian. So one could feasibly see a pasta dish served with sauerkraut and speck. Speck is the Alto Adige's answer to prosciutto. It is the combination of two culinary worlds. The hind quarter of a pig is de-boned and quartered (the quarters being called baffe), then salt cured with a variety of spices which may include salt, rosemary, nutmeg and juniper berries. It is then left to rest for several weeks before being smoked for several hours over a period of days and then left to come to full maturity for about 5 months. The shape is more rectangular and the meat, due to the preparation and dual process of air drying and smoking is more compressed and dense; it also packs a delicious punch of intense, smoked flavor. The color, unlike prosciutto, is a deep lush, blood red.
Unfortunately, for this recipe, I did not have speck in the house. But, I had a ton of prosciutto end pieces (remnants) which were cut just a bit thicker than what one usually gets at the store. (I always cull Fairway's throw-away shelf and use pieces such as these in soups, pasta fagioli, for stuffing, or just to eat by itself!) I also had quite a bit of leftover sauerkraut which was made in France with Champagne and thought: now I could make something with pasta and sauerkraut, if I wanted. Surely, if I tap into my memory, I certainly ate something with pasta and la crauta when I was in Bolzano! The more I thought about it, the more I knew it would be so good. And it was!
2 cups French sauerkraut in Champagne
4 tbs. pork or bacon drippings
3 tbs. olive oil
8 oz. prosciutto or speck chopped into coarse pieces
3 slices mortadella diced
3-4 oz. salt pork, diced
1 cup chicken stock
One piece of buttered parchment, cut in a circular shape to fit inside of pot.
Rinse and drain the sauerkraut three times with cold water. Squeeze out as much liquid as you possibly can and reserve (best to keep it in a sieve to drain more while waiting to be used).
Heat the drippings and olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the "meats" and sauté until somewhat tender and the pieces start to render most of their fat. Add the suaerkraut and combine ingredients well and cook for about a minute. Add the chicken stock bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a bare simmer. Cover with the piece of buttered parchment paper and cover with the lid and cook at the lowest setting possible for about 3 hours. Check periodically and stir if necessary. After 2 hours, check to see how much liquid is left in the pot. If there is more than 1/2 cup, uncover the pot and cook partially covered for the last hour of cooking. You should have a dense mass of amber sauerkraut with only about 2 tbs. liquid (browned by now) at the bottom.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350º.
Fill a large heavy bottomed pot with water and bring to the boil. Throw a handful of Kosher salt into the boiling water and add
1 lb. Rigatoni Rigati or another macaroni of your choice but it should be ribbed (shells, farfalle, cavatelli, etc.)
Cook for 6 minutes and drain in a colander. The pasta should be very al dente and not completely cooked.
If you used a pot similar to a Le Creuset pot, lightly grease it with some olive oil, add the semi-cooked pasta and all of the sauerkraut and mix thoroughly. Add:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Stir to combine and sprinkle on some toasted bread crumbs.
Put into the oven uncovered and bake for 45-60 minutes. The top will be browned and crusty and the cream should have acquired a thick, creamy consistency.
Serve immediately.
If you're like me - one who loves cold pasta the next day - you will love this dish. Little shreds of cabbage clinging to each piece of rigatoni lending texture to texture. I had some this morning and it was outrageous!
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