Recipe: Baked snails from Gragnano with Chianina IGP ragout

Today we propose a special recipe: lumaconi from Gragnano baked with Chianina IGP meat ragù sauce. 

Baked pasta is a truly Italian specialty that comes from our tradition of “pasta lovers.” It may sound like an awkward phrase, but how many times have we had leftover pasta and not known how to reuse it? 

 

Well, especially in the Southern regions - primarily Campania and Sicily - we have been taught that pasta can be baked with béchamel sauce, thus taking on a different texture but an entirely new flavor. Baked pasta, besides being a recipe, is also a cooking technique that, in any case, adapts very well to certain types of recipes. We recommend a very simple recipe that uses top-quality ingredients for a succulent and definitely tasty dish.

 

We bring together Central and Southern Italy: the most authentic Tuscany and the traditional Campania. 

 

 

Lumaconi made from durum wheat semolina from Gragnano 500g (want an alternative? discover scialatielli)

Béchamel 1 liter
Tuscan red ragù of Chianina IGP Simone Fracassi
Parmigiano Reggiano
Primo Cutrera Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

To prepare the béchamel, you need: whole milk 1l, flour 00 80g, butter 80g, fine salt to taste, a pinch of nutmeg. Mix the ingredients in a saucepan over heat and whisk vigorously until everything is homogeneous and free of lumps.
After making the béchamel, heat water in a pot until it reaches boiling point and then cook the lumaconi (you can choose another format of Gragnano pasta as long as it's large and spacious).

 

Take a sufficiently large baking dish and spread a layer of thick béchamel on the bottom.

At the end of the pasta cooking time, sauté it in a pan with the Chianina IGP sauce, mixing well. Also add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil while mixing. 

Arrange the pasta in the baking dish spreading it over the béchamel.

Add all the remaining béchamel trying to gently mix the pasta.
Grate Parmigiano Reggiano on top. 

Bake at 180°C in a static oven for about 15 minutes (or in a ventilated oven at 160°C for 7 minutes).
When cooked, set the oven function to Grill mode and gratin for about 5 minutes.
The baked pasta is ready: let it rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy your meal!