Corzetti stampati agli spinaci con gorgonzola
It is all about Christmas now, and that means special pasta for Christmas dinner. In years past I have served filled pastas such as ravioli, caramelle, or tortellini, but this year I decided to serve corzetti stampati, Liguria’s embossed pasta coins. And since it’s Christmas, I decided to make them of spinach pasta dough. Also known as croxetti, these pasta circles have a history that stretches back to the glory days of La Serenissima Repubblica di Genova, an independent state based in present day Liguria. The two piece stamps used to make this traditional pasta are beautiful examples of the art of the 'intagliatore', the wood carver, and are collector’s items in their own right.
The bottom of one piece is used like a cookie cutter to cut a round piece of pasta. The top of the cutting piece and the bottom of the second piece are artfully carved and are used to imprint the pasta coins. After the initial pasta round is cut, it is pressed firmly between the two carved sides to produce an embossed design – an edible woodcut.
The stamps display coats of arms, sheaves of wheat, Christian crosses, palm trees and many other designs. This design is functional as well as decorative; the textu- red finish of the pasta helps hold its accompanying 'condimento', or sauce. The pasta itself can be a traditional egg pasta, but corzetti are also made with semolina, whole wheat or chestnut flours. In parts of Liguria Parmigiano-Reggiano is added to the dough for a bit of texture and taste.
If you wish to use wine in your dough - the people of Liguria certainly do - make it a Vermentino.
Dressed with a luxurious sauce of butter, Gorgonzola dolce, heavy cream and Parmigiano Reggiano, this is a particularly indulgent way to eat your spinach! But if you want a quick sauce, these are delightful tossed with butter and topped with Parmigian.
Corzetti stamps can be difficult to find, but in America we are fortunate to have among us Terry Mirri of Artisanal Pasta Tools. Visit his site at www.ArtisanalPastaTools.com. He creates implements used to make corzetti, garganelli and passatelli along with rolling pins and polenta boards. Terry’s tools ensure that the tradition of handmade Italian foods will not be lost.
Corzetti agli Spinaci con Gorgonzola dolce
Spinach corzetti serves 6 as first course
Pasta 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Gorgonzola dolce Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 oz. Gorgonzola dolce, room temperature
1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
1⁄2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
salt and white pepper
nutmeg
chopped Italian parsley
For pasta: Unwrap spinach and thaw in strainer set over bowl. When thawed, squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible. You should wind up with roughly 3/4 cup liquid, and a scant 4 oz. of spinach. Discard liquid. Place drained spinach in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse10 times to chop finely. Add flour. Pulse to combine.
Combine eggs, egg yolks and olive oil in small measuring cup. Using a fork, beat together lightly. With processor running pour in all of the egg mixture. Mixture will gather in a ball, cleaning sides of work bowl. Process 40 seconds. Turn out onto floured board, knead briefly and wrap in plastic. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Cover two trays with kitchen towels and dust with flour or semolina. Unwrap dough and cut off one quarter, keeping remaining dough wrapped. Roll to #4 thickness on pasta machine. Do not roll the dough too thinly or you will have difficulty embossing it.
Use the circular cutting stamp to cut a round of dough. Place round of dough on carved end of stamp, and position second carved piece atop dough. Press firmly to emboss. Remove embossed pasta from stamp and place on prepared towel, covering the formed corzetti as you work. Repeat with remaining dough. If you do not have a corzetti stamp, you can cut coins using a two inch biscuit cutter.
Bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil. There is no salt in this dough, so you must salt the water well. Add a generous 1/4 cup coarse sea salt. “It should taste like the sea”, my grandmother would say. After you add the salt, the water will briefly come off the boil. When it returns, drop corzetti in, stirring once. Cook briefly, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, toss in sauce, and serve.
For sauce: In 12 inch saute pan melt butter over gentle heat. Add gorgonzola and melt, pressing it against the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, combine well. Add cream and combine well. Strain sauce to remove lumps. Wipe pan.
Return sauce to pan, add Parmigiano, white pepper and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Taste for seasoning. Add corzetti, toss to coat. Transfer to warm pasta bowl, top with parsley, and serve immediately.
To read more on technique and extra recipes for this very special pasta, go to my site at www. TheFrontBurner.us and search on corzetti.
Buon appetito!
