Roast Goose with Mlinzi

Name: Roast Goose with Mlinzi
Yield: serves 8 to 10
Ingredients: 1 recipe fresh pasta dough, page 20, plus flour for handling; 10-to-12-pound goose, fresh, or fully defrosted if frozen; 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or more to taste; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; 2 branches fresh rosemary; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pound onions, peeled and quartered; 1/2 pound carrots, cut in 2-inch chunks; 1/2 pound celery stalks with leaves, cut in 2-inch chunks; 1/2 ounce dried porcini slices, chopped into small pieces (about 1/4 cup); 6 juniper berries; 5 cups Poultry Broth, page 8, or other light stock, or more if needed; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, for cooking; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano; A heavy-duty roasting pan, 12 by 18 inches or larger, with flat wire roasting rack inside, big enough to hold the goose and vegetables; A thin skewer, kitchen twine, heavy-duty aluminum foil, a fat-and-gravy separator, a large sieve, and a potato masher; A 3- or 4-quart saucepan, for finishing the sauce; 1 heavy, wide skillet or sauté pan for dressing the mlinzi

December 14, 2011

Roast goose is a festive dish throughout all of northern Italy, but the Istrian tradition of serving goose with mlinzi reflects the culinary customs of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. And though roast goose by itself is utterly delicious, to have a forkful of mlinzi at the same time, drenched with sauce, is absolute bliss. Mlinzi are a simple form of homemade pasta, with an unusual distinction. After the fresh dough is rolled into thin sheets, it is baked in a low oven until crisp and toasted gold. The stiff sheets are later cracked into jagged shards and cooked like ordinary pasta. As a result, mlinzi are more porous and seem to drink up their dressing—in this dish, the richly flavored sauce made from the goose’s roasting juices. The baking also imparts a lovely nutty flavor to the pasta, which complements the dark meat deliciously. That’s why roast goose and mlinzi are a match made in heaven. This is a large, festive meal and does require considerable time and attention. It is best done in stages, the mlinzi prepared and baked a couple of days in advance (see page 20) so you can focus on roasting the goose and making the sauce.

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