🥘 Anelletti al forno

Anelletti al forno is a baked pasta from Sicily, also known as anelletti alla palermitana. It is named after anelletti, small rings of dry durum wheat pasta about a centimetre across. VisitSicily, the official tourism site of the Sicilian Region, says the shape is a regional speciality of the big pasta makers and is used almost exclusively for this dish.

The Accademia Italiana della Cucina gives a recipe 'in the Palermo style' for six: 400 g of anelletti, 300 g of minced veal (or half veal, half pork), 200 g of tomato concentrate, 200 g of shelled peas, 200 g of young pecorino primo sale, 80 g of grated caciocavallo, an onion, half a glass of dry white wine, a celery heart, half a carrot, a teaspoon of sugar, olive oil, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Onion, celery and carrot are softened in oil, the meat is browned, the wine is added, then the concentrate dissolved in hot water and the sugar; the ragù simmers for about 40 minutes, with the peas going in halfway. The pasta is boiled very al dente, mixed with the ragù, the diced pecorino and most of the caciocavallo, put into a buttered dish dusted with breadcrumbs, topped with more breadcrumbs and the rest of the cheese, and baked for about 40 minutes at 200 °C.

The Accademia adds that the meat was once only veal, cooked in a piece and chopped with a mezzaluna, and that a common variant includes hard-boiled eggs. It is a festive dish typical of Palermo families' country outings.

VisitSicily gives a version with red wine and about 20 minutes in the oven, noting there are as many variations as there are areas of the island: macaroni or rigatoni instead of anelletti, eggs, cured meats or vegetables.