This week’s parsha is B’shalach, which tells the climatic final chapter of the Exodus: the Israelites’ nighttime crossing of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh and his chariots. The Italian Jews have a special recipe they make this Shabbat called Pharaoh’s Wheel, a pasta baked into a round pan and filled with nuts, raisins, and meat. Unlike the flat, plain matzah of Passover, the lekhem oni of slaves, Pharaoh’s Wheel is a dish to be tasted in freedom.

I remember to make Pharaoh’s Wheel every few years, and it is always greeted with celebration, along with the realization that I still don’t own a round oven-proof dish (Pharaoh’s Brick, anyone?). This year, I was proud to be able to make it with grass-fed, ethically slaughtered kosher meat.

Pharaoh’s Wheel (Ruota Di Faraone)

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Homemade pasta made with 4 eggs and 2.5-3 cups flour (or 1 pound dry pasta–adjust recipe accordingly)

6 quarts water

3 tablespoons salt

3 cups meat sauce (recipe follows)

1/2 cups (or more) diced pickled tongue, beef salami, or beef sausage

oil or schmaltz

1/2-1 cup raisins (optional)

1/2-1 cup almonds (optional)

1/2-1 cup pine nuts (optional)

Roll dough not too thin and fold as you would for a jelly roll, 2 1/2″ wide. Cut 1/6″ wide slices and toss to unfold noodles. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add tagliolini and salt; when boiling resumes, cook for 1 minute.

Drain and place in a large bowl with meat sauce, diced colds cuts, and nuts and raisins if using. Toss quickly to distribute sauce.

Place in a round oven-proof baking dish, well greased. Bake in 350 oven for 1-1.5 hours, or until a nice crust is formed. Serves 6-8.

Meat Sauce (Sugo di Carne)

1/2 cup olive or corn oi

1-2 medium onions, chopped finely

1 carrot, chopped finely

2 stalks celery, chopped finely

2-3 springs Italian parsley, chopped finely

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup tomato paste

1.5 cups beef stock or water

salt

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, carrot, celery, and parsley, and lightly brown for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add meat and brown thoroughly, stirring frequently.

Add the wine and raise the heat to allow it to boil for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook over high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add stock or water and cook, covered, over very low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste. Sauce should be thick. If it is too watery, cook a few minutes longer.

Adapted from The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews by Edda Servi Machlin.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount