Two-thirds of Italy's mushroom production occurs in Acqualagna, an inland region of Le Marche located around 25 miles from the Adriatic Sea. In fact, fascinating anecdotes that involve notable Italians center around the Acqualagna truffle, which has been known since antiquity, and one involves composer Gioacchino Rossini. One evening in the 1860s, Rossini invited French writer Alexandre Dumas to dinner, serving him his own recipe for “Maccheroni alla Rossini.” The dish, which contained truffles, mushrooms, and prosciutto, was unusual at the time. To Rossini's dismay, Dumas, who was expecting a straightforward Neapolitan-style pasta dish, refused to try it.
Restaurants in and around Acqualagna serve it, and at home, you can give the composer’s recipe — penned on December 26, 1866 — a try.
"To be sure that you can make good macaroni, you must, first of all, have suitable pans. The dishes that I serve come from Naples and are sold under the name of the lands of Vesuvius. The recipe for macaroni is divided into four parts."
Maccheroni alla Rossini recipe
1. Cooking the pasta
Cooking the pasta correctly is crucial. Start by pouring the pasta into a previously prepared boiling, filtered broth. Cook the pasta over low heat, after adding an ounce or two of cream and a pinch of bitter orange. Once the macaroni takes on a transparent color, remove immediately from the heat and drain until no liquid remains. Set aside.
2. Preparing the sauce
Rossini suggests earthenware pans for the sauce. For every 7 oz. macaroni, you’ll need ½ stick butter, 2 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ½ cup broth, ½ oz dried mushrooms, 2 chopped truffles, 4 oz. chopped lean prosciutto, 1 pinch of four spices, 1 bunch of fresh herbs, 1 tomato, ½ cup cream, and 2 cups Champagne. Let the ingredients cook over low heat for around one hour then pass through a fine-meshed strainer and keep warm in a bain-marie.
3. Assemble the layers
At this point, it’s necessary to use a Vesuvian earthenware dish. Grease the dish with clarified butter, add in a layer of sauce, followed by the macaroni. Cover with a layer of grated Parmigiano, gruyére, and butter, followed by another layer of macaroni. Repeat the next two layers once more and then finish with some toasted breadcrumbs and butter.
4. Bake au gratin
Lastly, bake the pasta au gratin until the surface is golden-brown just before serving.
Buon appetito!
