Star chef Sven Wassmer had no chance to track down the recipe for the traditional Italian dish “Vincisgrassi” with “Kitchen Impossible” – the taste was so special, the ingredients so unusual. Now Graciela Cucchiara has shared the recipe with the world.
“Lasagne. Really now?” Sven Wassmer asked, visibly irritated, when he opened the black box on “Kitchen Impossible”. But after trying the first bite, the star chef let out a “wow”. Because what he had in front of him was not just any lasagna, but “Vincisgrassi”. Cooked according to an old family recipe by Graciela Cucchiara. A recipe so extraordinary that it caused a stir among television viewers.
Cucchiara runs the delicatessen “Alimentari da Graciela” in Munich. The dish “Vincisgrassi” was named after the Austrian Field Marshal Alfred I zu Windisch-Graetz, she writes in an Instagram post. During the Napoleonic Wars he stayed with his troops in front of Ancona. According to the story, the commander was so enthusiastic about the typical, traditional meal that it was named after him. After many generations, the dish has now ended up with her. “And I try to cook the recipe true to that of my grandma Lita,” says Cucchiara – with a lot – trigger warning – offal.
The shopping list for the Vincisgrassi (for 6 people)
For the vinocotto:
1/2 kilo black sweet grapes
3-4 black figs
For the ragù:
350g poultry cutlets (liver, stomach, intestines)
125g calf brain
125g calf intestines
200g veal sweetbreads
50g butter
50g Lardo fat: “Crema di Lardo” (the fat from the bacon)
1 carrot, halved
1 red Tropea onion, halved
1 glass of white wine “Verdicchio, Ascoli Piceno”
8 tbsp tomato paste
1 glass of broth
Some milk (3.5 percent), salt and white pepper
For the dough:
450g wheat flour “grano Tenero 00”
50g durum wheat flour “grano duro Senatore Cappelli”
5 eggs
80 ml concentrated grape must “Vincotto marcheggiano”
50g butter, room temperature
some water if necessary
12g fine salt
For the béchamel sauce:
3 sage leaves, whole
50g butter
35g wheat flour “grano Tenero 00”
600ml milk (3.8 or 3.5 percent)
To prove:
300g Pecorino marchigiano, coarsely grated
250g mozzarella, cut into small pieces
To serve:
1 lemon or cedar
2 tbsp capers and 1 tbsp caper juice (or nasturtium capers)
150g brown butter
How to prepare the “Vincisgrassi” lasagne:
Vino Cotto after Grandma Litas:
Remove the stems from the grapes, halve the figs and simmer slowly over medium heat for at least two hours until the consistency resembles runny honey. Then strain the juice from it using a fine cloth.
The Ragu:
Put the lardo and butter in a saucepan. Add the halved carrot and onion and sauté over low heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables turn golden. Then remove. The vegetable aromas are retained in the lardo. Put the chicken pieces and the remaining innards through the meat grinder, add to the pot and continue to sauté lightly. Deglaze with the Verdicchio wine. Dilute the tomato paste in the broth and add to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer on low for three hours. Stir regularly, adding a few tablespoons of milk at a time.
The dough:
In the meantime, let’s prepare the lasagna dough. Put wheat flour 00, durum wheat flour, eggs, Vincotto Marcheggiano and butter in a bowl and knead with the help of water (if necessary) until a soft dough is obtained. Cover and let rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
The béchamel sauce:
Melt the butter in a saucepan along with the sage leaves. Mix in the milk and add the flour very slowly, stirring constantly. Simmer on a low heat for 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Allow the béchamel sauce to cool slightly.
The brown butter:
Add the butter to the pan, melt on medium-high and simmer until the foam settles back to the bottom and turns golden brown.
After the dough has rested:
Roll out the “Vincisgrassi” dough with a rolling pin until the strips are a maximum of 3 mm thick and the length of the casserole dish. The rule here is: 1000 + 100 + 10, i.e. for 1000ml of water and 100g of pasta we need 10g of salt. Cook the lasagne sheets in salted water “al dente” and rinse with cold water. Store between cling film with olive oil until the ragù is ready.
Spread a thin layer of ragù in an ovenproof dish and place sheets of lasagne on top, cover the pasta layer with ragù, béschamel sauce, grated Pecorino Marcheggiano and a little mozzarella. Fill the shape layer by layer. The last layer should be the béchamel sauce.
Sprinkle generously with grated pecorino and top with mozzarella. Slowly gratinate the lasagne in the oven near the heating coil, on a low setting, for 5-10 minutes until a golden brown crust forms.
Scatter fresh capers on top, drizzle over brown butter and 1 tablespoon of caper water and serve with the zest of half a lemon or cedar.
You can see what it looks like when star chef Sven Wassmer tries to cook “Vincisgrassi” without a recipe for “Kitchen Impossible”. see again on RTL+. The next episode with chef Viktoria Fuchs will air on Sunday, February 27, from 8:15 p.m. on Vox.