Recipe: Baked snails from Gragnano with Chianina IGP ragout

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

Baked pasta: an Italian specialty

Baked pasta is a whole Italian specialty that comes from our tradition of "pasta eaters." It may sound like an inelegant expression, but how many times have we had leftover pasta and not known how to reuse it?

Well, especially in the southern regions, we have been taught that leftover pasta can be baked with béchamel, transforming its texture while giving it an entirely new flavor. Baked pasta, beyond being a recipe, is also a cooking technique that fits very well with certain types of recipes. We recommend a very simple recipe that uses ingredients of the highest quality for a truly delicious dish.

Let's bring together Central and Southern Italy: the authentic Tuscany and the Campania of tradition.

Baked Lumaconi from Gragnano with Chianina IGP red sauce: recipe

Ingredients

Lumaconi made from durum wheat semolina from Gragnano 500g

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

To prepare the béchamel, you need: whole milk 1l, flour 00 80g, butter 80g, salt to taste, a pinch of nutmeg. Mix the ingredients over heat in a saucepan and then whisk vigorously until smooth and free of lumps.
After making the béchamel, heat water in a saucepan until it reaches boiling and then cook the lumaconi from Gragnano.

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

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

Arrange the pasta in the baking dish over the béchamel.

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

Bake at 180° in a static oven for about 15 minutes (or 160°C for 7 minutes in a fan oven).
Once cooking is complete, set the oven 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.

Buon appetito!