Laura del Principe is not a Top Chef or an Iron Chef. She doesn’t have tattoos running up and down her arms or a line of cookware created in her name. Plistia, the restaurant she runs with her husband, Cesidio Decina, is tucked away in the small mountain town of Pescasseroli, in the heart of Italy’s National Park of Abruzzo. It was not on the recently released World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
But it is on mine. Del Principe’s dishes, especially her repertoire of fresh pastas, from hand-rolled spinach “tails” to rich lasagna baked in broth, have been inspiring my own recipes since the first time I ate at Plistia in 1994.
Most recently, last summer, it was the lasagna. Composed of layers of fresh noodles and cheese, it was just like any other lasagna, except that rather than being baked with sauce, it was baked in homemade broth. In between the delicate layers of pasta were tiny meatballs and mozzarella. The lasagne in brodo, golden brown on the top, was served in white, shallow-rimmed bowls together with a little of the broth. It was brilliant in its simplicity.
It was my dad who originally “found” the restaurant in ’94 (probably through word of mouth; this was before the Internet) and convinced my mom, my husband and me that it was worth exiting the autostrada and heading into the mountains for a late meal.
Such a detour was nothing new to me. My mother was born and raised in Chieti, a city in Abruzzo perched on a hill between the Gran Sasso d’Italia and Maiella mountain ranges. Every summer when we returned to Italy, she and my dad (mostly my dad) would plan trips. These excursions, sometimes day trips, sometimes longer, always centered on food and wine. We spent inordinate amounts of time looping around the mountain roads of Abruzzo in search of out-of-the-way trattorie and country inns.
When I was a kid, these trips held limited appeal, especially during my teen years, when I would have much preferred whiling away summer days at the beach with friends. Not surprisingly, though, the older I got, the more I enjoyed them. Places like Plistia taught me about the importance of good ingredients and about the rich diversity in Italian cooking, not only between the regions but also within them.
Abruzzo, one of Italy’s lesser known regions, is not like Tuscany. It is not all rolling hills and High Renaissance art and architecture. It is a place of rugged natural beauty, extending from the Apennine mountain range to the Adriatic Sea and encompassing three national parks along the way. While the coastal towns have long been a destination for tourists and vacationers in summer, Abruzzo’s rocky heart — the Gran Sasso mountain range (the highest in Italy excepting the Alps) — and the surrounding towns and villages are far less traveled.
But it is in those mountains that you will find some of the best food in the region. Restaurants in towns and the surrounding countryside feature fresh sheep’s milk cheeses and local salumi; rustic pastas made with semolina flour; roast pork, rabbit and lamb (skewered mutton is a specialty and far better than you might imagine); and wild spinach and other foraged greens. It’s unpretentious food but impeccable in quality because it all comes from the immediate vicinity.
And that is what we found at Plistia. On our first visit, the restaurant had already been there, on Pescasseroli’s main street, for decades. It was started in 1947 by Cesidio Decina’s parents as a simple cantina, a place for hikers to stop for a glass of wine and a dish of pasta in the years after World War II. It grew into a full restaurant, and eventually del Principe took over the kitchen.
The dining room is small and modest, with white linen-covered wooden tables and straight-backed chairs. The vaulted ceiling is whitewashed and adorned with faded photos and pen-and-ink drawings that look as if they have been there since the place opened.
But there was something about del Principe’s food that stood out to me. Yes, it was traditional and rustic. But it was personal, too, an expression of her creative streak and sure-handedness in the kitchen.
The first dish to arrive at the table (after a small parade of appetizers) was a platter of what we took to be green beans, emerald in color and lightly sauced. They turned out to be codette (little tails), chewy-tender strands of hand-rolled spinach pasta that were about the length and width of haricots verts. I still remember vividly how surprised and delighted we all were by this whimsical and delicious pasta.
Two other pasta dishes followed, tiny cavatelli tossed with wild spinach and ravioli filled with porcini and sheep’s milk ricotta di questa mattina (freshly made that morning). The pasta was followed by roast lamb, sausages and veal chops, and a side of wild chicory. The meal ended with a little basket of meringue and nut cookies that del Principe had baked.
At a certain point, I asked for a pad of paper and a pen and started writing down everything we had eaten. After dinner, del Principe came out of the kitchen and sat down, answering questions and explaining how to make everything from the codette to the cookies. I had no idea back then that my career would veer from journalism into cookbook writing, but I knew I was getting precious information. (Nearly two decades later I still have those notes.)
It took 15 years, but I finally made it back to Plistia, in 2009, this time with my husband and two kids in tow. I was working on “The Glorious Pasta of Italy,” and del Principe graciously allowed me to spend a few days observing her in the kitchen. Several of her recipes, including the spinach codette, are in the book.
In June, I went back once more. I wanted to thank del Principe and give her a copy of the book. That’s when I had the lasagna in broth. As I finished the last spoonful, I realized, with gratitude, that I had once again been served a generous helping of inspiration.
Lasagne in brodo
Servings: 8
Note: This recipe (lasagna in broth) is a labor of love, but worth every bit of time and effort. It is elegant and traditional, and at the same time utterly contemporary. Take the time to make homemade broth and you will be rewarded; as the lasagna bakes in the oven, the noodles absorb the broth’s rich flavor.
Most of the steps in this recipe can be done in advance: The broth can be made in advance and frozen; the lasagna noodles can be made in advance and frozen; and the meatballs can be made in advance and frozen. When it comes time to assemble the lasagna, defrost the broth and heat it to a simmer, and defrost the meatballs. Do not defrost the lasagna noodles; transfer them straight from the freezer to the pot of boiling water to cook.
Homemade chicken broth
1 chicken, about 4 pounds
1 yellow onion, quartered
4 whole cloves
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, including leafy tops, cut into 2-inch pieces
Handful of parsley (leaves and stems)
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Water (about 4 quarts)
Sea salt
1. Put all of the ingredients except the water and salt into a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low; cook, uncovered, at a gentle simmer, until the broth is reduced by about half, about 4 hours. Continue to skim the broth as needed as it cooks.
2. Toward the end of cooking, season the broth with salt to taste; let it simmer until it has developed a rich, meaty flavor, 30 minutes.
3. Strain the broth through a colander lined with several layers of damp cheesecloth into a container. Let it cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate until well-chilled. Skim off and discard the congealed layer of fat on the surface. Measure out 5 cups of broth for the lasagna. Reserve the remaining broth for another use. You can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for 1 month or longer.
Lasagna noodles
2 to 2 1/4 cups “00” flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon semolina flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1. Make the dough: Whisk together the flours, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Dump the mixture into a mound onto a clean counter. Make a wide, shallow well in the center of the mound.
2. Break the eggs into the bowl. Add the oil and whisk lightly. Pour the egg mixture into the flour well. Gently whisk the eggs with a fork while gradually drawing in flour from the inside wall of the well. Continue to whisk flour into the eggs until the mixture is the consistency of thick batter. Now use your hands to draw more flour into the egg mixture until a dough forms. Begin to knead the dough. Using the heel of your hand, push the dough gently but firmly away from you, and then fold it over toward you. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the pushing and folding motion. As you knead, continue to incorporate flour bit by bit until the dough is quite firm but still pliable. You may not use all the flour; use a dough scraper to sweep away excess flour and any small bits stuck to the work surface.
3. Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and silky, about 5 minutes. Form it into a ball; wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.
4. Make the lasagna noodles: Set up your pasta machine with the rollers on the widest setting. Scatter a little semolina flour on the work surface around the machine. Cover a large area such as a kitchen table with a tablecloth; sprinkle it with semolina. This is where you will put the lasagna noodles.
5. Cut the dough into quarters and re-wrap 3 pieces. Knead the remaining piece briefly on the work surface. Then pat it with the heel of your hand to flatten it a bit. Feed the dough through the rollers of a pasta machine; then lay the strip on the work surface. Fold the dough into thirds, like folding a business letter, sprinkle with semolina and pass it through the rollers again. Repeat the folding and rolling a few more times, until the strip of dough is smooth. Move the roller setting to the next narrower notch; feed the strip of dough through it twice, sprinkling with semolina as necessary to keep it from sticking. Then move the notch to the next setting.
6. Continue to stretch the dough in this way, twice on each setting, until it is very thin — about 1/16-inch thick. Because lasagna noodles are layered, they need to be very thin. You should be able to see the shadow of your hand through the strip.
7. Cut the strip of dough with a fluted pastry wheel or a sharp knife into 4-by-6-inch rectangles. Carefully transfer the rectangles to the semolina-dusted tablecloth, arranging them so they are not touching each other. Stretch and cut the remaining pieces of dough in the same way until you have cut them all into lasagna noodles.
8. If you are assembling the lasagna the same day, you can leave the noodles out. If you are making them in advance, it is best to store them in the freezer, where they will keep for up to 1 month: Sprinkle semolina on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange a single layer of noodles on the sheet. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle a little semolina over the waxed paper and add another layer of noodles. Continue to layer all the noodles in this way. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours or until all the noodles are firm. At this point you can transfer the frozen noodles to one or more tightly lidded containers and store them in the freezer. (Do not store the noodles in the refrigerator; they will turn brown.)
Meatballs
You may sub ground beef or pork for the veal, or a combination.
12 ounces ground veal
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable or olive oil for frying
1. Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl; mix thoroughly with your hands or a spatula. With your fingers, pinch off small pieces of the mixture and roll into tiny balls about the size of a hazelnut. Place the meatballs on a clean baking sheet or platter. You will have 125 to 130 meatballs.
2. Pour the vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch in a large skillet; place over medium-high heat and heat to 375 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, carefully drop a meatball into the hot oil; if it sizzles on contact, the oil is ready. Place a platter lined with paper towels near the stove. Carefully add the meatballs to the hot oil, working in batches so they don’t crowd the pan. Fry the meatballs, nudging them around from time to time with a skimmer or slotted spoon, until they are lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared platter. Repeat until all the meatballs are fried.
Assembly
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, about
1. Lay a tablecloth or several clean dishcloths out on a clean, flat surface near the stove. Have ready the broth, heated to a simmer; the lasagna noodles; the meatballs; and the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter.
3. Heat a large pot of water to a rolling boil; salt generously. Carefully drop in 6 to 8 sheets of pasta noodles, taking care not to crowd the pot. Boil the pasta for just a couple of minutes, until they begin to float to the surface; fresh pasta cooks quickly, and the lasagna sheets should be slightly underdone. Use a large skimmer to remove the sheets from the pot; spread them out flat on the tablecloth. Be careful as you spread them out as they will be hot. Cook and lay out the remaining sheets in batches.
4. Pour a ladleful of broth in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a single layer of pasta sheets over the broth. Lay several slices of mozzarella over the lasagna sheets and sprinkle a little Parmesan on top (1 to 2 tablespoons). Scatter a small handful of meatballs over the cheeses. Pour another ladleful of broth over the cheeses and add a second layer of noodles, cheeses and meatballs. Continue to layer the broth, noodles, cheeses and meatballs until you have made at least six layers. Make a final layer of noodles; sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan over them. Keep any remaining broth hot; you can ladle it over the lasagna at serving time.
5. Cover the lasagna with foil; bake, 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is golden, with browned and slightly crisped edges, 20-30 minutes. Allow to rest, 5 minutes.
6. To serve, cut the lasagna into individual portions; transfer the slices to shallow-rimmed bowls. Spoon a little broth from the baking dish or from the pot of extra broth over each serving. Sprinkle a little extra Parmigiano on top if you like.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 461 calories, 26 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 186 mg cholesterol, 26 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 622 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
Cooking demo
Domenica Marchetti is a food writer and cookbook author, most recently of “The Glorious Pasta of Italy.” She will do a cooking demonstration June 8 at the Good Eating Stage as part of Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago. For details, visit chicagotribune.com/litfestchefs.
