Vincisgrassi

Knead and rest the Marsala sfoglia

• 1 Sift 180 g soft all-purpose type 00 flour into a mound on the worktop and make a well about 12 cm across.
• 2 Add 2 room-temperature eggs, 15 ml dry Marsala, a fortified Sicilian wine, 10 g softened room-temperature butter and 2 g salt. Beat the eggs with a fork while gradually drawing in the flour from the inside.
• 3 When no dry flour remains and the dough comes together, knead for 12–15 minutes by pushing with the heel of the palm and folding back, making dough for sfoglia, very thin handmade pasta.
• 4 Shape into a ball, wrap tightly and rest in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes before rolling.

Soak the sweetbreads in the refrigerator

• 1 Meanwhile(During the 1-hour soak.) Very finely chop 60 g onion, 40 g carrot and 30 g celery with strings removed.
• 2 Put 1 L cold water and the juice of 1/4 lemon in a bowl. Submerge 100 g veal sweetbreads, the thymus, and soak in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Change the water after 30 minutes and add the juice of 1/8 lemon.

Blanch and trim the sweetbreads

• 1 Put 1 L water and the remaining lemon juice, from 1/8 lemon, in a pot. Add the soaked sweetbreads to the cold water and heat over low heat for about 8 minutes until just below boiling.
• 2 Once small bubbles appear, simmer gently for 3 minutes, lift out with a strainer and transfer to ice water.
• 3 Once cooled slightly, carefully remove the membrane, blood vessels and firm fat with fingers and a small knife, then cut into 1.5 cm cubes.
• 4 Arrange flat on a plate, place another plate on top as a light weight and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Clean and cut the chicken giblets

• 1 Lay the knife almost flat to trim the pale silverskin from 40 g chicken gizzards. Set out 40 g chicken hearts and 40 g chicken livers separately.
• 2 Halve the hearts lengthwise and rinse out blood clots; trim bile ducts, white sinews and greenish parts from the livers.
• 3 Place the cleaned rigaglie, chicken giblets, in 1 L cold water and refrigerate for 30 minutes, changing the water once.
• 4 Drain and press dry thoroughly with paper. Slice gizzards 3 mm thick; dice hearts and livers 1 cm and arrange separately by type.

Build the aromatic base with prosciutto fat and soffritto

• 1 Meanwhile(While the vegetables cook.) Warm 250 ml meat broth in a small pot to about 70°C and keep warm over low heat.
• 2 Put 20 ml extra virgin olive oil in a heavy cast-iron pot, add 60 g prosciutto diced 5 mm and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the fat is translucent.
• 3 Add the finely chopped 60 g onion, 40 g carrot and 30 g celery; cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, to make the soffritto, the slowly cooked aromatic vegetable base.

Brown the meat and giblets

• 1 Melt 20 g butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the sliced gizzards first for 2 minutes, then add the hearts and finally the livers. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until colored, then transfer to the soffritto pot.
• 2 Arrange the dried sweetbreads in the same pan and cook over medium heat for 1 minute on each side until lightly colored; transfer to the pot.
• 3 Spread 150 g ground beef in the pan and sear undisturbed over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes, then turn, break up and cook for another 2 minutes.
• 4 Turn off the heat, pour in 60 ml dry white wine and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze, dissolving the flavorful deposits. Return to medium heat and boil for 2–3 minutes until the sharp alcohol smell is gone, then transfer to the pot.

Simmer the meat and giblets for 2 hours 30 minutes

• 1 Add 200 g tomato passata and 100 ml warm broth to the pot and stir. Set the lid slightly ajar and simmer over very low heat for 2 hours 30 minutes, with only an occasional bubble on the surface.
• 2 Stir the bottom every 20–30 minutes and add the remaining 150 ml warm broth in 50 ml additions. Together with the first 100 ml, use 250 ml total.

Reduce, season and cool the ragù

• 1 Meanwhile(While the ragù cools.) Grate 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano from a piece.
• 2 Spoon off excess fat from the surface.
• 3 Remove the lid completely and stir in 4 g salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg.
• 4 Reduce over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 5 Turn off the heat, move the pot onto a damp cloth and cool for 30 minutes until close to room temperature.

Cook the nutmeg béchamel

• 1 Warm 400 ml milk in a small pot over low heat to about 60°C, when fine bubbles form at the sides.
• 2 Melt 30 g butter in a heavy pot over low heat, add 30 g sifted type 00 flour all at once and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, to make a roux of butter and flour.
• 3 Remove from the heat. Add the warm milk first in 3 additions of 50 ml, whisking each time until completely incorporated and free of lumps.
• 4 Pour in the remaining milk in a thin stream while stirring, return to low heat and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in 2 g salt, 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
• 5 Turn off the heat, press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin and cool to body temperature.

Roll the sfoglia to 0.8 mm and cut

• 1 Meanwhile(While rolling.) Bring 2 L water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
• 2 Divide the rested dough into 4 portions and keep unused portions wrapped.
• 3 Lightly dust the worktop with semolina. Roll 1 portion from the center outward, rotating as you go, until 0.8 mm thick and the outline of a hand beneath shows through.
• 4 Cut sheets to fit the base of an ovenproof dish about 24 × 18 cm, preparing 5 layers. Patch areas a single sheet does not cover with edge pieces.
• 5 Roll the rest in the same way; cut unused trimmings short and freeze for another dish.

Blanch and dry the sfoglia

• 1 Add 20 g coarse salt to 2 L boiling water.
• 2 Prepare a bowl of ice water beside the pot and a work surface covered with 2 dry cloths.
• 3 Boil 2–3 sheets at a time for 40–50 seconds, lift with a strainer and immediately immerse in ice water for 10 seconds.
• 4 Lay the sheets 1 at a time on a cloth without overlapping and press with another cloth to remove water.
• 5 Boil all remaining sheets in the same way.

Build 5 layers with ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano

• 1 Grease the inside of a 24 × 18 cm baking dish with 10 g of the 25 g butter reserved for the dish and surface.
• 2 Weigh all the béchamel and spread 30 g on the bottom. Reserve about 20% of the rest for the top, then divide what remains into 4 portions.
• 3 Lay down a pasta layer, spread 1/4 of the ragù, 1/4 of the béchamel for the layers and 15 g Parmigiano. Repeat to make 4 filled layers total. Divide 1/4 tsp black pepper evenly among these 4 layers.
• 4 Add the 5th pasta layer and cover with the reserved top béchamel and remaining 20 g Parmigiano. Dot with the remaining 15 g butter in small pieces.

Rest overnight before baking

• 1 Cover loosely with tented foil, avoiding contact, and refrigerate for 12 hours, at least 8 hours.

Bake at two temperatures

• 1 Meanwhile(While baking.) Warm serving plates on a lower shelf or similar place.
• 2 Remove the dish from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• 3 Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• 4 Tent with foil so it does not touch the surface and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.
• 5 Remove the foil, raise the oven to 200°C and bake for another 15–20 minutes.
• 6 Measure the center with a thermometer and confirm it stays at 75°C or above for at least 1 minute.

Rest, slice and serve

• 1 Remove from the oven and rest on a rack for 15–20 minutes.
• 2 Cut straight down to the bottom with a sharp knife to make 4 squares measuring 12 × 9 cm.
• 3 Lift with a spatula without disturbing the layers and serve on warm plates.