Here at Casa Admin we have a tradition of gathering around the kitchen, usually the first weekend of December, and spend the whole day cooking some new recipe and also experimenting on some classics… and then share everything with you!
This year we decide to challenge ourselves with a ‘beginner-friendly’ Pandoro recipe! Baking your own Pandoro is extremely rewarding and the result was delicious too. However, the proofing didn’t proceed as quickly and smoothly as per instructions and left us panicking for almost 24h: only true bakers know that feeling of not being able to sleep properly as the worry that your dough might overproof is keeping you awake!
Whilst the dessert gave us some trouble (and a sleepless night), the main course was flawless, gratifying and, of course, delicious. Our Wellington Polpettone is a hybrid between two classics: Polpettone and Beef Wellington. It’s a meatloaf wrapped in a delicious layer of Italian greens and puff pastry, with a core of caciocavallo cheese, which you can of course substitute with any Italian melting cheese of your choice.
For the puff pastry you can of course use a store-bought one, but here at Casa Admin we suffer from a very serious condition called DIYitis: why buy it if we can do it ourselves?
We all know that traditional puff pastry can be a bit of a pain to make, so we can’t tell you how happy we were when we found this recipe by Cucino Dunque Sono that allowed us to have a roll of puff pastry in less than 30 mins and with only 3 ingredients! For non-Italian speakers, here you have the recipe below:
– 250g of plain flour
– 200g of good quality unsalted butter
– 120g of ice-cold water
– 5g of salt
All you need to do is cut your butter in small cubes and put them in the freezer for 15 mins. Then, blend them with all of your flour. Make sure you don’t overdo it: you need to stop when you achieve a sand-like texture. Then, add your cold water and give it another blitz! Again, make sure you stop when a rough dough forms.
Once your dough is ready, it needs to rest for 20 mins in your fridge before proceeding with 3 sets of fold as per the YouTube video.
We understand this recipe can still sound a bit time-consuming but we can guarantee that the result is well worth it!
If you decide to give our Wellington Polpettone a try over the festive season please share with us your pictures and feedback.
Have a fantastic Christmas and Happy New Year from all us here at Linguini!
Polpettone alla Wellington
Ingredients
- 500 grams Beef Mince 15%
- 500 grams Lean Pork Mince
- 300 grams Stale Bread
- 2 eggs
- 150 grams grated Parmesan Cheese
- handful Parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 stalks Italian 'Friarielli' or turnip tops. It can be substituted with Cavolo nero or spinach.
- pinch black pepper
- 1 roll puff pastry Alternatively, see the notes to make your own!
- 150 grams Caciocavallo cheese Or a melting cheese of your choice
Instructions
- If you are making your own puff pastry, you need to start at least 30 minutes before making the meatloaf as this preparation has a 20 mins resting time in the fridge.
- First, soak the stale bread in water or milk for about 1 hour until soft. Then squeeze the excess liquid and set aside.
- Cook your green according to the type of product. If you have been lucky enough to get your hands onto some Friarielli or turnip tops, clean them thoroughly and then stir fry them until wilted in a frying pan with some olive oil and a clove of garlic. Add some chili flakes if you don't mind some heat! Set the greens aside to cool down.
- Combine together all the ingredients except for the puff pastry and the Friarielli and knead until it is well mixed through.
- Unroll your puff pastry sheet on some baking paper, then spread your greens evenly on it.
- Form a meatloaf in the middle of your puff pastry sheet, add a core of cubed Caciocavallo cheese in the middle, wrap it and close the puff pastry where the edges join.
- Cook in the oven at 160 degrees fan/180 static for roughly 45-50 mins. To make sure it's cooked through, we suggest using a thermometer.
- Serve with roast potatoes or your side of choice and enjoy!
