A typical Italian story is behind the recipe of “Pasta Le Marche,” balls of fried tagliatelle and minced meat, seasoned with béchamel and paired with tomato sauce ragù and Parmigiano Reggiano for dipping. Originally from Monterubbiano, a town in the Italian region Le Marche, the recipe was brought overseas by chef Elena Salati Masetti and her husband Riccardo Masetti, owners at the Italian bistrot Cremini’s, the first New York eatery in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, inspired by the region of Le Marche.
Salati Masetti is from the Piedmont region, but as she explains to La Cucina Italiana, she “stole” the recipe of Pasta le Marche from her husband's grandmother, who is from Le Marche.
Here, the couple shares their recipe for the beloved dish, one of the more popular items on the restaurant’s exciting menu.
Pasta “Le Marche” Recipe
Ingredients for 4 meatballs
½ lb. noodles
1/3 lb. ground beef
¼ lb. mozzarella
3 1/3 oz. bechamel
2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
1 egg
Flour
Extra virgin olive oil
Bread crumbs
Salt
Sunflower oil for frying
Method
- Bring salted water to boil and add the tagliatelle. Cook halfway and drain and pour the tagliatelle in a bowl.
- Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the minced meat into a pan.
- Cook the meat over low heat. Once it is cooked, pour it into the bowl with the pasta along with the béchamel, Parmigiano, and the diced mozzarella.
- Mix the ingredients until they are blended.
- Wet your hands and take a handful of tagliatelle to make round balls. Dip the meatballs in the flour, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. It is highly recommended to repeat the breading twice in order to avoid the meatballs from breaking apart while frying.
- At this point, fry the meatballs in boiling oil until they turn golden.
- Drain them and let them rest on absorbent paper.
- Serve at least two meatballs per person with plenty of meat sauce on top and of course some Parmigiano! Pair it with a glass of Rosso Piceno Superiore.