Fagottini salati

Recently it has been all about comfort food here in rainy, foggy, cold Milan.

That really isn’t a complaint. Everyone that lives in this part of the country knows that autumn and winter are all about fog and rain. In fact Milan is famous for its fog – something that I discovered when we started telling people that we were going to move here. Apparently fog in Milan is like snow in Toronto. No matter who you talk to, everyone has a fog horror story to tell and everyone insists that today’s fog is a pale reflection of what it used to be. 

This kind of weather inspires me to spend more time in the kitchen and while I often like to revisit old favourites, I also like to play around with new ideas.

Fagottini(little bundles) are pastries usually filled with jam or chocolate and are eaten for breakfast here in the bel paese.

I had some puff pastry that I planned to use to make sweet fagottini with, when I was distracted by some gorgeous, organic button mushrooms.

I decided to put a savory spin on a sweet classic and these were the (much appreciated) result.

Serves 4 to 8

Ingredients

1 medium sized red onion

300 grams button mushrooms

250 grams pancetta

1 clove of garlic

40 grams butter

Chopped parsley

60 ml white wine

60 ml 35% cream

500 grams of puff pastry (2 sheets 25cm x 30 cm if you buy it frozen)

50 grams grated scamorzza (which is smoked mozzarella – as opposed to fresh)

Parmigiano

1 egg

Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Chop the parsley, onion and mushrooms, cut the pancetta into cubes or bite sized slices, grate the cheese, and press the garlic.

In a large skillet or frying pan melt the butter and saute the garlic, onion and mushrooms. Add the pancetta and cook until it turns pink.

Add the white wine and continue cooking until the wine evaporates.

Add the cream and stir until incorporated.

Sprinkle with the parsley and season to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut the pastry in half and roll out into rectangles 25cm by 30cm.

Cut into 8 equal rectangles. (4 per sheet of pastry)

Place the filling into the centre of the rectangle (the amount in the recipe is enough to fill 8 pastry rectangles for the measurements state above).

Add the grated scamorzza evenly and sprinkle with parmigiano to taste.

Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg and fold it over.

Score the tops with a sharp knife being careful not to cut through the pastry completely.

Brush the tops with the beaten egg and place in the oven at 180°C for 20 – 25 minutes, until the pastry is a golden colour.

(I like to line my baking sheet with parchment paper.)

Serve one per person if serving as an antipasto or appetizer.

Serve two per person if serving as a secondo or main course.

I served this with mashed buttercup squash, but can also go nicely with a bitter salad.