Pasticcio del Gattopardo Recipe

In this special space, we are excited to welcome the new Cesarine who have just joined our Community. Every month, we will discover together who they are, where they come from, how they found out about the Community, and the special stories and recipes they bring with them. It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the beauty of Italian cuisine together.
Today, we introduce Cesarino Antonio, directly from Palermo. With great enthusiasm, Antonio answered the questions in our interview, which you can read below.

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How did your passion for Italian cuisine begin?

My journey in the culinary world has an interesting beginning, as it started with architecture—my passion comes from art. My love for Italian cooking can be traced back to the kitchen at home. When I was little, I would spend hours in the kitchen with my mom. She cooked a lot, and I would watch, help, and cook alongside her. That was a formative experience for me, where I learned the secrets of Italian cuisine. As I grew older, I was able to turn this passion into a career, entering the restaurant world.

How did you discover the Cesarine community?

My knowledge of the Cesarine Community was initially quite superficial, just some hearsay. I had heard about it, but I didn’t really know much. Everything changed when a dear friend of mine talked to me about it in more detail one day, encouraging me to give it a try. That conversation inspired me to take the leap, and from that moment, I became part of the Cesarine Community.

What do you like most about being part of this community?

What impressed me the most about being part of Cesarine is the professionalism that characterizes this community. Back in Sicily, the concept of professionalism in the restaurant world is a bit different. I can honestly say that I am very satisfied because Cesarine is a very professional company.

What is your favorite recipe?

My favorite recipe is undoubtedly the Pasticcio del Gattopardo, a dish I am very fond of. During the second lockdown, with the pandemic forcing everyone to stay at home, my husband and I decided to embark on a culinary journey to discover many Sicilian recipes. We tried making numerous traditional dishes from the island, and among them, the Pasticcio del Gattopardo was an undisputed star. It wasn’t a success on the first attempt; we had to try several times before we found the best recipe. Eventually, we managed to figure out all the ingredients that, when combined, created the perfect result.

This dish is a savory pie made with sweet shortcrust pastry. The base of the filling is made up of bucatini pasta dressed with meat ragù and béchamel, which binds all the ingredients together. You can also add other ingredients to taste, such as peas.

Antonio Campo and guests

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Il Pasticcio del Gattopardo (Leopard Pastry)

Antonio, therefore, shows a deep connection to the recipe for Pasticcio del Gattopardo. But what makes this delicious dish so special?

First of all, it's important to highlight that this dish was made famous by the iconic novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, where it is served during a lavish banquet. It is a typical dish from Sicilian tradition, once considered a symbol of the island’s nobility in the 19th century, as it was prepared in aristocratic homes for special occasions, due to its richness and complexity.

Pasticcio del Gattopardo is a kind of savory pie made with a base of shortcrust pastry or pâte brisée, enclosing a filling of macaroni, béchamel, ragù, peas, and other ingredients that can vary depending on taste.

Today, this dish is definitely less common than it was in the past, but despite that, it remains an icon of traditional cuisine, retaining its aura as a historical dish.

In this article, we also reveal the recipe for this sumptuous Sicilian dish, so you can prepare and enjoy it yourselves!

Ragù with peas

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The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Before we move on to the recipe, we would like to share some details about the novel that inspired today's dish. The Leopard is a classic of Italian literature, considered one of the most important masterpieces of 20th-century Italian fiction.
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel is a story about change and tells the tale of a society in transformation, an aristocracy deeply connected to the past but aware that nothing can remain unchanged.

Scene from the movie The Leopard

The title of the novel comes from the animal depicted on the emblem of the aristocratic family: the leopard.
The story is narrated from the perspective of the Prince of Salina, Don Fabrizio Corbera, who watches from a distance the gradual decay of the aristocracy to which he belongs. The novel focuses on the conflict between the declining aristocracy and the emerging bourgeoisie, between the old and the new world.

Pasticcio del Gattopardo del Cesarino Antonio

Pasticcio del Gattopardo (Leopard Pastry)

A Sicilian dish in which macaroni, ragù, and béchamel make up the filling of a savory pie, symbolizing the 19th-century aristocratic cuisine.

Cooking time45m

Servings4

Ingredients

For the pasta:
300 g of macaroni or Sicilian anelletti
50 g of butter
50 g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

For the ragù:
250 g of ground beef
150 g of ground pork
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
300 g of tomato passata
1 glass of red wine
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the béchamel:
500 ml of milk
50 g of butter
50 g of flour
Nutmeg to taste
Salt to taste
For the filling:
100 g of peas
100 g of diced cooked ham
100 g of diced mozzarella or caciocavallo
2 hard-boiled eggs
For the outer crust:
250 g of salty shortcrust pastry or pâte brisée
1 egg yolk for brushing

Method

Prepare the ragù:

Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery, then sauté them with the olive oil.
Add the ground meat and brown it well.
Deglaze with the red wine and let it evaporate.
Add the tomato passata, salt, and pepper, and let it cook for about 40 minutes on low heat.

Prepare the béchamel:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and stir until the mixture turns golden.
Slowly pour in the milk, stirring continuously.
Add salt and nutmeg and cook until you achieve a smooth cream.

Cook the pasta:

Cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water, draining them al dente.
Toss the pasta with butter, Parmigiano, and some of the ragù.

Assemble the filling:

Add to the pasta the previously blanched peas, diced cooked ham, mozzarella, and chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Mix in the béchamel and the remaining ragù, stirring well.

Prepare the crust: