Capellini Pie
By Bob Skolnick Photography Marty Snortum Studio

One thinks of pasta with marinara sauce, meatballs, carbonara sauce or with pesto. But in the world of continental cuisine, pasta can be used in many different recipes. In this edition’s Perfect Pasta presentation we combined the pasta with caramelized onions, which is indicative of the style of cooking from Lyon, France.

There are numerous types of pasta but capellini works the best for this dish as it is very thin in diameter and will adhere better when molding into the pie.

Capellini Pie (Serves 4 to 6)
2 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 each Spanish onions – medium –
cut into very thin slices
1/2 lb. Capellini or Angel Hair pasta
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan &
Romano cheese mixed
1/2 tsp dried basil leaf
1/2 tsp dried parsley leaf
Garlic, salt & pepper to taste

To Prepare
1. In a large heavy sauté pan melt 1 tbsp of salted butter with 1 tbsp of olive oil over low heat. Add the very thinly sliced onion and 1/2 tsp of garlic salt. Stir well and cover. Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat until the onions are soft.

2. Uncover the onions, increase the heat to mediumhigh and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are golden and caramelized (about 1 1/2 hours).

3. While the onions are caramelizing, cook the pasta al dente in salted boiling water. When cooked al dente, drain the pasta and then transfer to a large bowl and add the chicken stock. Season with garlic, salt, pepper, dry basil and parsley. Stir well and allow the capellini to “drink in” the chicken stock. Let stand for 20 minutes to cool and then add your grated cheese mixture. Stir, cover with clear wrap and set aside.

4. When the onions are fully caramelized, remove from the sauté pan and spread on a platter or cookie sheet to cool a little. Once cooled, add the caramelized onion and beaten egg to the pasta and mix thoroughly. Cover again and set aside.

5. In a 12” non-stick sauté pan melt 1/2 tbsp of butter with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over a moderately low heat. Add the pasta mixture and press down well in the pan. Cook for 15 minutes until a golden crust forms on the bottom. Remove from the heat.

6. Place a large round platter over the bottom of the pan and invert the pan so the pasta drops out onto the platter.

7. Again melt 1/2 tbsp of butter with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Slide the Capellini pie with the uncooked side down back into the sauté pan and cook for 10 minutes until this side is also golden brown.

To Serve
The Capellini Pie can be made the day before and reheated in a slow oven or in the microwave. Slide the whole pie onto a platter and cut into pie shaped wedges. When serving sprinkle a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top and garnish with a few leaves of Italian parsley. The Capellini Pie can be served hot, at room temperature or cold. Buen Provecho!