Pizzoccheri is a typical recipe of Valtellina, a mountainous region of Northern Italy.
Traditionally the pizzoccheri are a sort of short fettuccine made with buckwheat flour.
The sauce is made with savoy cabbage, potatoes, mountain cheese and a lot of butter.
It was amazing for us to make a sort of upgrading of the recipe, giving it a fusion touch...
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 150 g buckwheat flour
- 100 g all purpose flour
- 20 g water
- 200 g boiled potatoes
- 20 g grated Parmigiano cheese + some more to season pasta
- 100 g semi-hard cow cheese like Asiago Mezzano
- 250 g cabbage or savoy
- a handful of sage leaves
- wo cloves of garlic
- ground nutmeg and black pepper, e.v.o.oil, sea salt to taste
Boil the potatoes for about 30 minutes and set aside to cool down.
Make the dough: combine the two flours, a pinch of salt. Add a bit of water at a time: it may be that you will need more or less than 120 grams of water. It depend on the type of the flour. Add water a bit at a time until you get a tender but not sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and set aside for 15 minutes.
Mash the cold potatoes and pour them into a large bowl. Add 20 g of grated Parmigiano cheese and the semi-hard cow cheese, grated. Season with a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of ground black pepper and two pinches of sea salt. Combine well.
Roll the dough onto a floured surface. You can use the pasta maker, if you have one. The pasta sheets must be thin, but not too much like as you were rolling the tagliatelle or fettuccine: pizzoccheri is a rustic kind of pasta.
You can make ravioli in the shape you like: squares, triangles, rounds... Cut the rolled dough into your favourite shape, place a teaspoon of filling in the middle.
Set the ravioli onto a floured board and bring to a boil a large pot of water.
Meanwhile, wash and cut the cabbage into stripes of about 2 cm wide. When the water boils add salt (remember: 7 grams per litre) and pour the vegetable into it. Cook for about 8 minutes, then add the ravioli and cook for 5 minutes more.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sage leaves and the garlic. Cook gently: the condiment must not burn. Drain the ravioli and the cabbage. Place into a serving plate and dress with aromatic hot butter and a generous handful of grated cheese. Enjoy!