Lost Dishes: Giovanni's - Farfalline del Presidente Reagan

Giovanni's: Farfalline del Presidente Reagan

Giovanni Gabriele twice traveled to Washington, at the invitation of the White House, to represent Missouri in preparing food at President Ronald Reagan's inaugurations. His farfalle al salmone consisted of pasta in the shape of bow ties, smothered in smoked salmon, Parmesan cheese and butter. The dish was so well received that Frank Sinatra purchased 40 pounds of it to serve at one of his private parties. Sinatra dubbed the dish "Presidential Farfalle."


Pasta should be al dente	Farfalle al Salmone

Farfalline del Presidente Reagan

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 5, 1987

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 qt boiling salted water
8 oz farfalle (bow-tie egg pasta), uncooked
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided
4 oz smoked salmon, cut in julienne strips
1 cup (8 oz) half-and-half or light cream
3 to 4 oz Parmigiana (or Parmesan) cheese, freshly grated
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation

Bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta; stir once and cover. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Check pasta for consistency; it should be firm (al dente), but not overcooked. Drain; return pasta to pot.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in skillet; add julienne strips of salmon and saute 3 minutes, or until they become crunchy. (Yes, crunchy.)

Add salmon and pan juices to cooked pasta in pot. Add remaining 1/4 cup butter and half-and-half. Heat for about 3 minutes, or until butter and cream coat pasta to a creamy consistency.

Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish. Add freshly grated cheese to taste and ground pepper. Give pasta a gentle toss, then serve hot on hot dinner plates.