Il Cucinologo
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Marchigian Vincisgrassi

17/11/2023

Vincisgrassi are an iconic dish from the Marche region, a very rich sort of lasagna made with multiple layers of egg pasta, ragù, béchamel and mushrooms. Here is the traditional recipe:

Ingredients

  • For the egg pasta:
    • 400 g tipo “00” flour
    • 4 eggs
  • For the ragù:
    • 300 g ground beef
    • 200 g ground pork
    • 100 g chopped chicken livers (optional)
    • 70 g chopped pancetta
    • 1 onion
    • 1 carrot
    • 1 celery stalk
    • 500 ml tomato passata
    • Red wine, as needed
    • Extra-virgin olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
  • For the béchamel:
    • 100 g butter
    • 100 g flour
    • 1 l milk
    • Nutmeg
    • Salt
  • 100 g dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in hot water and squeezed) or fresh
  • Grated Parmigiano, as needed
  • Oil for greasing the baking dish

Preparation

Egg pasta:

  1. Mix the flour with the eggs until you obtain a smooth dough and let it rest.
  2. Roll the dough into thin sheets, then cut them to the size of the baking dish you will use.

Ragù:

  1. Prepare the soffritto by finely chopping the onion, carrot and celery and sautéing them in extra-virgin olive oil together with the pancetta.
  2. Add the ground meats and chicken livers, browning over high heat.
  3. Deglaze with red wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
  4. Add the tomato passata, adjust salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Béchamel:

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir quickly.
  2. Gradually add the warm milk, avoiding lumps.
  3. Bring to a boil, add salt and grated nutmeg and cook until thickened.

Assembly:

  1. Grease a baking dish and spread a little béchamel on the bottom.
  2. Make a layer of egg pasta, one of ragù, one of mushrooms, one of béchamel and a sprinkle of Parmigiano.
  3. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, finishing with béchamel and Parmigiano.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes, until the surface is golden and crisp.

Let the Vincisgrassi rest for a few minutes before serving so they settle and can be cut more easily.

Curiosities

Legend has it that the name “Vincisgrassi” comes from the Austrian generalissimo Windisch-Graetz, who during his stay in the Marche in the 18th century fell in love with this dish, then known as “princisgrass”. Over the years the name evolved into its current form.