Fresh Pasta
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I obviously love pasta, but the truth is, I almost never used to make it from scratch. Why? I have two kids and a husband, and it takes a lot of kneading to make enough pasta to feed four! Then I learned something fantastic in Bologna: Have everyone make their own pasta portion. If you don’t have to deal with a ton of dough, you might have more incentive to try your hand at fresh pasta.
Italians have a perfect ratio for making one serving of fresh pasta: 100 grams of flour (3.5 ounces, or about ¾ cup) and one large egg. The size of the dough ball is really manageable this small, so it quickly takes on that nice, silky, elastic quality. Try making tagliatelle or another pasta using this simple ratio—each guest can be in charge of mixing, kneading, rolling out, and cutting their own pasta!
In this chapter, you’ll discover some wonderfully chubby, wobbly pasta that’s as easy to make as playing with playdough—no need for paper-thin perfection. Many of the recipes, like World’s Easiest Pasta, Crunchy Cornmeal-Buckwheat Triangles, and Little Chestnut Gnocchi are easy enough for a four-year-old!
{ Lorighittas }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Sardinia, especially the town of Morgongiori
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Lorighittas are adorable twirled rings of pasta found only in Sardinia. Legend has it that lorighittas were invented by a man who, finally after winning over his lover’s heart, created this pretty ring-shaped pasta in celebration.
Making them is very relaxing, but it takes time. I love serving them to guests, but instead of making them all myself, I knead the dough in advance and then portion out little handfuls and have everyone fashion their own. It’s a fun activity for family or friends and doesn’t involve any special equipment, not even a knife. Just pinch off a bit of dough, roll it into thin strings, loop a couple of times, and twist. You’ll taste how special they are in every bite.
Pomodori schiattarisciati, Pugliese dialect for “bursting tomatoes,” are often served in a bowl accompanied by crusty bread as a communally shared starter, but here it’s used as a sauce. If you like, top the pasta with flavorful grated bottarga—dried fish roe that’s also a specialty of Sardinia.
FOR THE PASTA:
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
Make the pasta: Mound the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Slowly pour in ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water, whisking with a fork to incorporate it into the flour. Add more water, a little at a time, until a dough forms. Knead the dough until it is very smooth, about 10 minutes. Form it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Working with a small handful of dough at a time so it doesn’t dry out and keeping the rest covered, roll the dough into a long strand about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. It’s easiest if you roll the dough on a smooth surface like a stainless-steel table. Pinch off about 9 inches (23 cm) of the strand and loop it very loosely twice around the tips of two or three fingers. Make one loop slightly longer than the other. Then, with your thumb and fingertips, gently twist the two loops together, like you’re winding a watch, until they are wrapped around each other, and press lightly to attach. Set the loops onto a cotton cloth.
Repeat until you’ve finished using all the dough. (If you are having trouble with the traditional method of looping it around three fingers, you can instead cut two lengths of about 5 inches (12 cm) each. Connect them at one end and gently twirl them until they are wrapped around each other. Then pinch the ends together to make an oval loop.)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and boil the pasta until it is al dente, about 3 to 6 minutes, depending on how thick your strands of dough are.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Salt
Olive oil
2 pints (570 g) grape or cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup (25 g) thinly sliced fresh mint
Make the sauce: Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan over high heat until it is very hot. Carefully put in the tomatoes, cover, and cook until you hear the distinctive “pops” of the skins bursting, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, until the garlic is light golden. Take it off the heat, remove the garlic, and stir in the mint.
FOR SERVING:
1 ounce (30 g) bottarga (dried fish roe) or aged pecorino cheese, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
To serve: Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Serve it topped with grated or thinly shaved bottarga or pecorino cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
{ Ravioli dolci }
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SERVES 4; makes about 40 ravioli | REGION: Abruzzo, especially the Teramo area
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This is one of my all-time favorite recipes—very unusual and exceptionally flavorful. Savory-sweet ricotta ravioli seasoned with marjoram, lemon, rum, and sugar are a unique specialty from the Teramo area of Abruzzo.
The touch of sugar and rum in the filling brings out the marjoram’s lovely aroma, while lemon zest adds a bright pop, all nicely balanced with the acidity of the sauce. The taste hearkens back to the Renaissance, when sweet and savory flavors were more commonly mixed. These must-try ravioli are traditionally served in a fresh tomato sauce or pork ragù.
If you are new to ravioli making, make larger ravioli by rolling the dough a little thicker and putting more filling in the center. Italians call these huge ravioli ravioloni. This version is too good not to try.
FOR THE FILLING:
1 ¾ cups (435 g) ricotta
⅓ to ½ cup (65 to 100 g) sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons rum
Zest of ½ lemon
2 teaspoons fresh marjoram
Pinch ground cinnamon
1 large egg yolk
Make the filling: In a large bowl, gently stir together the ricotta, sugar, rum, zest, marjoram, and cinnamon until just combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more sugar or rum to taste, then stir in the yolk. Do not overmix or the ricotta will become runny. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE DOUGH:
About 3 ½ cups (445 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
4 large eggs
Olive oil
Make the dough: Put the flour into a large bowl or on a work surface and make a well in the center. Beat the eggs with ½ teaspoon oil and add them to the well; slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the flour with your fingers until it forms a dough. You may need to add a little water if the dough seems too dry or a little flour if it is sticky. Knead for at least 5 minutes, until smooth. Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Using a quarter of the dough at a time so it doesn’t dry out and keeping the rest covered, roll the dough into a sheet about 1/16 inch (2 mm) thick. Cut the sheet into two equal strips and put rounded tablespoons of filling along the center of one strip, leaving 1 ½ inches (4 cm) between dollops. Moisten around the filling with a little water, top with the other strip of dough, and press the two pieces of dough together around the filling, so the filling is sealed inside. Using a pasta-cutting wheel or ravioli cutter, cut out the ravioli in squares or rounds, leaving a ½-inch (12-mm) border around the filling. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, setting them onto a clean cotton cloth in one layer.
FOR SERVING:
3 cups (720 ml) fresh tomato sauce or pork ragù (this page), warmed
Parmesan or pecorino cheese
To serve: Bring one or two wide, flat pans of salted water to a gentle boil and cook the ravioli until they are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon to serving plates, and top with a few tablespoons of warm sauce and grated cheese.
{ Gnocchetti di castagne }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Northern Italy, especially the mountains of Liguria and Lombardy
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Leave it to the Italians to transform fifteen chestnuts and half a potato into a gourmet feast for four!
Satisfyingly chewy and permeated with chestnutty sweetness, these adorable little gnocchetti are denser and more complex tasting than the all-potato versions. Plus, as with all gnocchi, you just need to roll the dough into a chunky rope. Making them is a great way to get in touch with your inner child—more like playing with playdough than cooking!
The simply made aromatic cream sauce adds nice acidity, complementing the chestnut’s sweetness. Special thanks to Sonia Piscicelli and her delightful daughter Emma for the recipe and photos.
FOR THE GNOCCHETTI:
5 large fresh chestnuts
½ large russet potato
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Salt
3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose or “0” flour
Make the gnochetti: Boil the chestnuts in their shells for about 30 minutes, until they feel soft, then remove the shells and skin from the chestnuts while they are still warm. (Quick tip: Since they don’t need to stay whole, you don’t have to be neat about peeling them. Cut them in half, and scoop out the meat with a spoon.) Mash the chestnuts with a fork or put them through a food mill and set aside.
Boil the potato until tender, then peel and mash it. Put the chestnut puree and half the mashed potato in a bowl and add the egg, yolk, and a pinch of salt and knead, adding in the flour a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each into a ½-inch- (12-mm-) thick log. Cut the logs into hazelnut-sized pieces, then roll each into a tiny ball. Using your pinkie or the tip of a spoon, press a well into the center of each ball. You should get about eighty gnocchetti.
Boil the gnochetti in plenty of salted water until they float to the top and are tender, about 4 minutes. Drain.
FOR THE SAUCE:
8 ounces (225 g) taleggio or robiola cheese, diced
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese
Make the sauce: In a small pan, combine the cheese and milk and heat over low heat, stirring often. Spoon some of the cheese sauce onto each serving plate and top with the gnocchetti. Serve sprinkled with pepper, thyme, and Parmesan.
{ Testaroli }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Liguria and Tuscany
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I had no clue what to make of the eighteen-inch giant spongy pancake I spotted in a gourmet shop in Liguria. It was shrink-wrapped, rolled like a diploma, and tied with pretty green ribbon. When the shopkeeper explained that it was a “pasta,” meant to be boiled, I was dubious. I mean, who would boil a pancake? Turns out, the Italians have been doing it since as early as the 1300s, and perhaps even back in ancient Roman times.
The name of this pasta, testaroli, derives from testo, the special terra-cotta pan these pancakes are cooked in. Of course, you can make them in a cast-iron skillet or other pans as well. The dough is simple to work with, more like crêpe pancake batter than pasta dough. In Italy, they combine all kinds of flours with white flour to make the batter: whole-wheat, fine cornmeal, buckwheat, farro, and chestnut flours. So here’s a good chance to try a new flour you’ve been wanting to experiment with.
This is a great make-ahead dish, as the pasta pancakes are best after they’ve rested overnight and will stay fresh for a week before boiling. Try them topped with any of the pesto recipes like delicious Orange-Almond Pesto or the aromatic marjoram version.
½ cup (55 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
½ cup (about 85 g) whole-wheat, fine cornmeal, or other flour
Olive oil
Salt
½ onion
¾ cup (180 ml) pesto or grated pecorino cheese
In a large bowl, combine the flours. Add 1 ½ tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and slowly stir in 2 cups (480 ml) water to get a thin, smooth mixture, like crêpe batter. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick sauté pan, cast-iron skillet, or crêpe pan over medium heat. Dip the onion half into some oil and rub it onto the pan to grease the surface and flavor the oil a bit. Add just enough batter to the pan to create a thin layer, spreading it quickly by tilting the pan, just as you would when making crêpes. Cook until the edges come up a bit and you can easily turn over the pancake, about 7 to 10 minutes. Turn and cook it on the other side for about 5 minutes. Remove it to a clean surface and allow to cool. Repeat, remoistening the pan with the oil-dipped onion, until all the batter is used. Then once the pancakes are cool and dry to the touch, stack them between waxed or parchment paper in an airtight container in a cool place for at least 12 hours before cooking or they will be gummy.
To cook the pancakes, cut them into 2-bite rectangles or triangles. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pancake pieces, and immediately turn off the heat. Leave them in the water for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are tender. Drain and serve them topped with pesto or a drizzle of oil and grated pecorino.
Come il cacio sui maccheroni
Like cheese on pasta
SAID OF SOMETHING THAT’S ESPECIALLY WONDERFUL
{ Incannulate con olive }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Puglia
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An adorable shape that’s not at all hard to make—these long ribbons of wide noodle are twirled at one end, forming Shirley Temple–like curls. I learned to make this charming pasta in Puglia at the home of Lucia Contrada and Pasquali Galluccio, who orchestrated a memorable day when they also taught me to make other specialty shapes of that region like orecchiette.
Throughout southern Italy, olives are served fried, baked, and also stuffed. Here, the traditional olive filling with cheese, breadcrumbs, and herbs is instead a no-cook sauce for this pretty pasta.
FOR THE SAUCE:
30 Cerignola or other large green olives
10 oil-cured small black olives
Olive oil
15 fresh mint leaves, minced
3 tablespoons homemade coarsely ground breadcrumbs, toasted
Grated aged pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make the sauce: Using a meat mallet or fork, press down on the olives to smash them open. Remove and discard the pits. Put the olives into a serving bowl and stir in ¼ cup (60 ml) oil, the mint, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons cheese, the oregano, vinegar, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest at room temperature while you make the pasta.
FOR THE PASTA:
2 cups (255 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
Make the pasta: Put the flour onto a work surface. Make a well in the center and add ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water. Using a fork, slowly incorporate the flour into the water, starting from the center, until a dough forms. Add a few additional tablespoons of water at a time as needed, until you’ve incorporated it all into the flour. Knead the dough until smooth, about 8 minutes. Form it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a large circle about ⅛ inch (6 mm) thick. Cut it into strips ¾ inch (2 cm) wide. Hold one end of a strip with one hand and twirl the other end with your other hand, like you are winding a watch, then gently pinch both ends to keep them from uncurling. Double the twist over loosely, forming a “u,” and set it out onto a cotton cloth or floured surface. Repeat using the rest of the dough.
To serve: Boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and toss into the bowl with the olive mixture. Top with more grated cheese, if you like.
{ Blécs }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Friuli
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Blécs are one of the easiest homemade pastas to tackle. The wholesome buckwheat-cornmeal dough is thickly rolled out and rough cut into irregular-shaped triangles. The name in fact is dialect for a bit of cloth for patching. The sauce is unique, too—a crunchy cornmeal mixture seasoned with sage and topped with smoky grated cheese. Be sure to use finely ground cornmeal for both the dough and the sauce.
FOR THE BLÉCS:
¾ cup (115 g) buckwheat flour
¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
¾ cup (105 g) fine-grind yellow cornmeal
2 large eggs
Olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
Make the blécs: In a large bowl or on a work surface, mix the buckwheat, all-purpose, and corn flours. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, 3 tablespoons oil, and the salt. Combine the wet ingredients first, then slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid, adding a little water as needed, until a dough forms. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ⅙ inch (2 mm) thick and cut it into 2-inch (5-cm) triangles.
Put the bay leaf in a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the blécs and boil until tender, about 3 minutes.
FOR FINISHING:
4 tablespoons (60 g) butter
Fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons fine-grind yellow cornmeal
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (100 g) grated smoked ricotta or Gouda cheese
To finish: In a nonstick skillet large enough to later toss the blécs, melt the butter and a few sage leaves. Once the butter is bubbly and the sage aromatic, remove the sage to use as garnish and sprinkle in the cornmeal, stirring with a wooden spoon over medium heat until it is crunchy and golden colored. Season with salt and pepper.
Drain the blécs, discard the bay leaf, and toss the pasta into the cornmeal mixture. Serve it topped with the cheese and reserved buttery sage leaves.
{ Ravioli di mele con pesto di fave-pistacchi }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Northern and central Italy
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If you try no other recipe in this chapter, try this one. The apple, honey, and cheese filling is simply astounding and the addition of fava beans to the pistachios makes for a smoky, sweet, richly satisfying pesto. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of making your own ravioli. For this recipe, because the filling is so dense, the dough doesn’t need to be thin. These ravioli are also oversized, so cut them into fairly large circles with a cookie cutter and they will be easy to fill.
My son liked this recipe so much that he arranged for me to come up to his college during his senior year to make it with a bunch of his favorite professors. He graduated summa cum laude—thanks to these ravioli, I’m sure!
FOR THE PESTO:
1 cup (120 g) shelled fresh fava beans or ¼ cup (50 g) dried fava beans
⅓ cup (40 g) shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons pine nuts
About 30 large fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make the pesto: Boil the fresh beans in salted water until tender, about 4 minutes (simmer about 45 minutes for dried). Drain, peel, and pat dry. In a small food processor or mortar and pestle, grind the beans, pistachios, and pine nuts until very smooth. Add the basil and then, while processing, slowly stream in ¼ cup (60 ml) oil, grinding until creamy, adding more oil if dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
FOR THE DOUGH:
3 ½ cups (445 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
4 large eggs
Olive oil
1 large egg white
Make the dough: Put the flour in a large bowl or on a work surface and make a well in the center. Beat the whole eggs and 1 teaspoon oil into the well with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour until a dough forms. Knead the dough until it is very smooth, at least 5 minutes. Form it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
FOR THE FILLING:
2 tablespoons butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
5 to 7 fresh sage leaves
1 pound (455 g) robiola or taleggio cheese, diced
Chestnut or buckwheat honey
Make the filling: In a sauté pan, melt the butter over high heat. Add the apples and sage and cook until the apples are just tender, but still a bit firm. Let them cool to room temperature.
To assemble: Using a quarter of the dough at a time so it doesn’t dry out and keeping the rest covered, roll the dough into ⅛-inch- (3-mm-) thick sheets either with a rolling pin or pasta machine. Using a cookie or ravioli cutter, cut to 4-inch (10-cm) circles. Beat the egg white in a bowl to use for sealing the ravioli.
Put 1 tablespoon of the apple mixture onto a dough circle, then top with 1 tablespoon of the cheese and a tiny drizzle of honey. Moisten the edges of the dough with the egg white, top with another dough circle, and press the edges firmly to seal. Repeat until all the dough and filling are used.
Bring one or two wide, flat pans of salted water to a gentle boil and cook the ravioli until they are tender. Remove them with a slotted spoon to serving plates. Serve topped with dollops of the pesto.
{ Tortelli Piacentini con la coda }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Emilia-Romagna, especially the province of Piacenza
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The filling for these charming bundles—ricotta, peas, asparagus, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts—is so good you’ll be tempted to eat it right out of the bowl! But be sure to save some to make these unique tortelli, which are fun to fold into their unique cocoonlike shape. They don’t have to be perfect to be delicious. They are served here topped with a simple combo of melted butter, sage, and grated cheese.
This specialty of Emilia-Romagna was invented in the mid-1300s in honor of famed poet Francesco Petrarch, who was visiting a nobleman in Piacenza.
FOR THE FILLING:
1 shallot, finely minced
Olive oil
8 ounces (225 g) peas
3 to 4 thin stalks asparagus, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely sliced oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 g) ricotta
Grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons pine nuts, chopped
4 to 5 fresh basil leaves, minced
Make the filling: In a medium pan, cook the shallot in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until it is softened, about 1 minute. Stir in the peas, asparagus, and tomatoes, cover, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Lightly mash the vegetables with a potato masher; season to taste with salt and pepper. In a bowl combine the ricotta, ⅓ cup (40 g) of Parmesan, egg, pine nuts, and basil with the cooled vegetable mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE DOUGH:
2 cups (255 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
3 large eggs
Olive oil
Make the dough: Put the flour onto a work surface. Make a well in the center and beat the eggs and ½ teaspoon oil into the well with a fork. Slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs until a dough forms, adding a few tablespoons of water if it is dry. Knead the dough until it is very smooth, about 5 minutes. Form it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Using a cookie or ravioli cutter, cut 4-inch (10-cm) circles. Put a heaping tablespoon of the filling in the center of a circle and fold down about ¼ inch (6 mm) of the top edge of the dough. Then fold a little of the top left corner down over the center, then a little of the right corner over that. Continue folding in alternate sides, moving down the center until you reach the end of the dough circle. Pinch closed the “tail.” Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
FOR SERVING:
3 tablespoons butter
4 to 5 fresh sage leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese
To serve: Boil the tortelli in one layer in two wide pans of salted water until they are tender, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter with the sage in a small saucepan until the butter browns a bit, about 2 minutes. Remove the tortelli using a slotted spoon and serve them drizzled with the sage butter and topped with cheese.
{ Pasta al ceppo }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: Abruzzo, Puglia, and southern Italy
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This specialty of Abruzzo is called pasta al ceppo, after the wooden knitting needles that the dough was originally wrapped around to create its distinctive shape. In other parts of southern Italy, this same type of pasta was wrapped around a metal rod and called by various names, including pasta col ferretto, pasta with iron. Although there are specialty devices for making this pasta, many home cooks still use knitting needles, or even the spokes from umbrellas!
I was taught this fun-to-make shape at the home of Tiziana Ragusi, who arranged for her seventeen-year-old son Roberto Paolini, his grandmother Margherita Palumbi, and three friends to teach me. The first few I made got squashed as I pulled them off the rod, so don’t get discouraged. They’re tasty even when squashed!
FOR THE SAUCE:
Olive oil
16 baby bell peppers or 4 large bell peppers, a mix of red, yellow, and green
2 garlic cloves, sliced
¼ cup (60 ml) vino cotto or sweet Marsala wine
Fresh minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make the sauce: In a large sauté pan, heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the whole baby peppers (or seeded and quartered large peppers) and cook until they are dark golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn the peppers over, lower the heat to medium, and add the garlic and wine. Cook until the wine evaporates and the peppers are very soft, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and top the peppers with a sprinkling of parsley. Let them rest at room temperature while you make the pasta.
FOR THE PASTA:
2 cups (255 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
Make the pasta: Put the flour onto a work surface. Make a well in the center and add ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water. Using a fork, slowly incorporate the flour into the water, starting from the center, until a dough forms. Add a few tablespoons of water at a time if the dough is dry. Knead it until very smooth, about 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough into a ½-inch- (12-mm-) thick strand. Cut off a 2-inch (5-cm) section. Put a metal rod or knitting needle in the center of the dough section and use your palm to gently roll it in one motion until the dough is wrapped about the rod. Gently pull the pasta off the rod. Set the pasta out in a single layer onto a cotton cloth or floured surface. Repeat using the rest of the dough.
FOR SERVING
Grated pecorino cheese
To serve: Boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain and toss with the peppers. Serve topped with grated cheese. (In Italy, they serve the baby peppers stems and all, which are then cut off on the plate with the edge of a fork, or even picked up by the stem and bitten off. The discarded stems are left at the edge of the plate.)
{ Cjalsons }
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SERVES 6 | REGION: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, especially Carnia
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Of all the weird but wonderful recipes in this book, this is one of the weirdest and most wonderful!
These savory half-moon bundles are filled with an astonishing array of ingredients: mashed potatoes, smoked cheese, lots of herbs, spices, and fruit—including apples, pears, apricot jam, raisins, lemon zest, and, yes, even chocolate! They date to the Middle Ages and were renowned, even then, for the many aromatic herbs and numerous spices included in the filling.
Cjalsons—pants, in the local dialect—get that name from their chubby horseshoe shape, which resembles a pair of cowboy chaps or baggy pants.
FOR THE FILLING:
3 tablespoons raisins or currants
2 tablespoons grappa or rum
1 pound (455 g) Idaho or russet potatoes
5 tablespoons (70 g) butter
1 cup (100 g) minced assorted fresh herbs like parsley, mint, marjoram, and basil
1 small pear, peeled and grated
1 small apple, peeled and grated
½ cup (60 g) grated smoked ricotta or Gouda
2 tablespoons apricot or cherry jam
2 tablespoons homemade breadcrumbs, toasted, or crushed amaretti cookies
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cocoa powder or grated dark chocolate
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for garnish
Salt
Make the filling: Soak the raisins in the grappa until they are soft, about 30 minutes.
In a pot of boiling water, cook the potatoes until tender. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and mash them until smooth. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the butter until it is melted, then add the raisins and any remaining liquor, the herbs, pear, apple, 6 tablespoons (45 g) of the cheese, the jam, breadcrumbs, zest, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt to taste and mix until well combined. Set the mixture aside to allow the flavors to meld while you make the dough.
3 ½ cups (445 g) all-purpose or “0” flour
3 large eggs
1 large egg white, lightly beaten, optional
Make the dough: Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Beat the eggs in the well with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs, adding about ½ cup (120 ml) warm water, until a dough forms. Knead until it is elastic. Let the dough rest in the bowl, covered with a damp cotton cloth, for 30 minutes.
Using a quarter of the dough at a time so it doesn’t dry out, and keeping the rest covered, roll the dough into ⅛-inch- (3-mm-) thick sheets. Using a cookie or ravioli cutter, cut 3 ½- to 4-inch (9- to 10-cm) circles. You should get about 36 circles.
Place a heaping tablespoonful of filling in the center of each circle of dough, moisten the edges with water or egg white, then fold and press the edges closed to make half moons; pinch each one in the center to resemble chubby cowboy chaps.
In one or two wide pans, in a single layer, boil the cjalsons in salted water until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Remove the cjalsons with a slotted spoon to serving plates. Drizzle each serving with the melted butter and top with the remaining cheese and a pinch of cinnamon.
{ Frascarelli }
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SERVES 4 | REGION: le Marche and throughout central and southern Italy, with variations found also in the northern Trentino–Alto Adige region
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You don’t need any special equipment to make this pasta—just your own nimble fingers. Spread flour onto a work surface, sprinkle it with a few drops of water, and stir and pinch it to form tiny nuggets.
The name of this pasta, frascarelli, comes from the Italian for “twigs”—little bundles of dried oregano or rosemary stems traditionally used to sprinkle the drops of water into the flour. The cooked frascarelli were eaten right off the wooden board used to make the pasta, and they’re still classically served that way in Italy.
This was a “poor” dish, often served with just a drizzle of olive oil and bit of grated cheese. That said, these tender, rustic nuggets are absolutely fabulous topped with savory sausage and pecorino cheese.
4 cups (680 g) semolina flour
2 large eggs
1 rosemary branch (optional)
Salt
Olive oil
3 sweet sausages
Pecorino cheese
Spread the flour onto a large wooden board. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with ½ cup (120 ml) water. Drip the egg mixture onto the flour a little at a time, using a fork or the rosemary branch, and stir with your fingertips to form little nuggets. As they form, pick the resulting nuggets out of the flour and into a mesh sifter. Shake off any excess flour and transfer the nuggets onto a cotton dishcloth. Repeat until the egg mixture is used up, adding more flour if needed. Let the nuggets air dry, uncovered, for 2 hours.
Bring 1 quart (960 ml) lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta nuggets. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.
Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the sausage casings, add it to the pan, and cook until it is lightly browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Once the pasta is tender, spread it out onto a serving platter or wooden board, and top with the sausage and a generous sprinkling of shaved or grated cheese and a drizzle of oil.
