In the Pianoscarano district of Viterbo, the recipe for Pignattaccia was born, a dish that uses not exactly refined cuts of meat such as shank, tripe and oxtail. A poor dish that we can still find today during the famous feast of Santa Rosa.
Santa Rosa is the patron saint of Viterbo but her very high procession machine and all the rituals of the feast are included in the intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO and represent one of the most engaging.
Pianoscarano is one of the two medieval districts of Viterbo which still retains all its charm today. It was originally located on a hill surrounded by two streams, now filled in, and was inhabited by the humblest families. Perhaps for this reason this dish that uses scraps was born right among these houses.
The preparation of Pignataccia was particular: an earthenware pan was used where the ingredients were placed and then covered with bread paper. Once the pan was closed with string, it was brought to be cooked in the public oven after the bread had been baked. The twine was placed to avoid unwanted "tastes".
The Pignattaccia recipe
To prepare the Pignattaccia, take the cuts of meat that we have available between the shin, tripe and tail and let them soak in white wine, cloves and salted water for at least 3 hours.
We prepare a coarsely chopped celery, carrots and onion and cut the potatoes into slightly thick slices.
At this point we begin the assembly and in the earthenware pan we put a little oil on the bottom, then the potato slices and on top we put the various meats (the shank must be boned) and the herbs with oil, salt, pepper and chilli pepper.
We repeat the operation until the meat is finished and the last layer will be of potatoes. Cover and put in the oven at 200°C for about 3 hours. In the absence of an earthenware pan, we can use a steel one, the important thing is that it can go in the oven.
In the glass I chose a white wine with structure but with a good acidity that cleans the mouth: a Sicilian Viogner.
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