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Un po' di pepe

~ …… (oon∙poh∙dee∙PEH∙peh) Cristina writes about interesting stuff /Cristina scrive di cose interessanti

Un po' di pepe

Tag Archives: Italian cooking

Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci

30 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Mangiamo!, Recipes

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Homemade ricotta, Italian cooking, Pasta, Pasta fatta a mano, Ravioli, Stuffed pasta, Vegetarian pasta

Ravioli di ricotta e spinaciStuffed pasta is more of a special occasion dish than an ‘everyday’ pasta, and really fun to make by hand. I especially like large ravioli, as they look like little gift packages-and everyone loves presents!

Making ravioli is more efficient and fun as a team effort.  I recently spent a morning with my nipotina Francesca making ravioli with a creamy ricotta and spinach filling. Since I needed to measure out the recipe for her, I decided to share it in a post.Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

Pasta naming can be confusing, and there are also regional differences.  Ravioli are usually square, but can also be round or mezzalune –half moons.  They are usually made with a filling between 2 thin pasta sheets, sealed and cut.  Large ravioli are sometimes called agnolotti- a sub category of ravioli where pasta sheets are folded over a filling, sealed and cut.  One example is agnolotti del plin.  As you see in the photos, some of our ravioli were made folded over, and some not, so we just call them all ravioli.ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

To make the pasta:

Fresh egg pasta is generally made with 1 egg to every 100g flour.  I use finer OO (doppio zero) flour as it makes a more elastic dough which is more likely to stay al dente. All purpose flour can be used as well, or a combination of the 2.

Depending on the size of the eggs, an extra yolk may need to be added, or a bit less flour.  The dough should not be too dry, or the ravioli will not seal properly and will open while cooking.

I usually use 5 eggs and 500g 00 flour, which will use up all of the filling. This makes about 75-80 ravioli 5cm (2 inch) square.

Tip the flour onto a wooden board.  Make a wide hole in the center of the flour and add the eggs.  Move a few tablespoons of the flour off to the side in case it is not needed.  This prevents needing to add water because the pasta is too dry!Pasta all uovo

Beat the eggs with a fork and slowly start to mix in some flour.  Keep adding flour from the inner edge of the wall.  When the egg mixture is no longer runny, start kneading by hand.

Knead for 10 min using the whole hand.  Keep folding and turning until the dough is shiny and elastic.  Shape into a ball.  Cover with an overturned bowl and let the dough sit for 30-60 min.  This lets the gluten relax, and the dough will be more elastic and workable.

A stand mixer or food processor can be used to make the dough, but it does not come out as nice, plus I find it more work to wash the appliances than to mix it myself.

To make the filling:

The filling can be made the night before, or while the pasta is ‘relaxing’. I do not really measure the ingredients.  Use less ricotta and more spinach if you like.  I often make them without any spinach.  These are the approximate amounts:

500-600 g (~2 cups) ricotta, drained

80-100g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (¾ -1 cup)

2 egg yolks

500g fresh spinach, cooked, drained and chopped finely, or 200g frozen spinach, thawed and drained

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper qb*

The ricotta I use comes in its own little draining basket.  The basket can sit in a colander over a bowl to drain for a few hours.  To make your own ricotta, check out the post Ricotta fatta in casa.  Make sure to squeeze out all of the water from the spinach as well. Extra moisture will produce soggy ravioli.  Yuck!  Mix all ingredients with a fork.  Cover and store in the fridge until the ravioli are ready to fill.

To make the ravioli:

Cut off one piece of dough at a time (~1/8th of the total) and leave the rest under the bowl so it does not dry out.  Lightly flatten the dough with fingers and run it through the pasta machine twice on the widest setting.  Gradually run the dough through at thinner settings, until the second thinnest setting.

Since ravioli is double layered, the pasta should be as thin as possible.  The green spinach should be visible through the pasta!Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

The dough can also be rolled out by hand, but it takes real talent and years of practice to roll out a sfoglia thin enough for ravioli!

Work with only 1 piece of dough at a time-or the pasta will dry out and not stick together.  Try not to add any extra flour to the dough or the board when making stuffed pasta as this will also prevent sticking.Ravioli mold RaviolampRaviolamp ravioli mold

I have a ravioli mold called a Raviolamp, and a round ravioli cutter, but I also like to make them ‘freeform’.  We made a combination of all 3 so that Francesca could try them all!  They do not have to all look the same-but try to make them all the same size so they take the same time to cook.Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

Using 2 teaspoons, drop 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on the pasta sheet 2 fingers apart.  Either use 2 sheets, 1 for the top and 1 for the bottom, or 1 long sheet and fold it over.  Press in between the filling with the heel of hand, making sure to remove any air. The filling can be piped out of a pastry bag if you want to get fancy.Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

Cut the squares with a fluted pastry wheel or ravioli cutter.  The Raviolamp makes 12 ravioli stuck together, then they can be cut apart with the pastry wheel.Ravioli mold RaviolampI use the leftover dough to make a few ‘freeform’ ravioli rather than putting it through the pasta machine again.  Use the leftover bits as soon as possible so they do not dry out. The finished ravioli can go on a floured tea towel on a cookie sheet until they are ready to cook or be frozen. Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

Cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water.  If cooking frozen ravioli, do not defrost.  Drop them into the boiling water directly from the freezer.  Cook for ~4 minutes, or 1 minute after they float to the top.  Remove with a slotted spoon.Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

These ravioli should be served with simple sauces.  While they are cooking heat up olive oil with some garlic and fresh sage.  They are also delicious with a simple tomato sauce. For either sauce, top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and bite into them!Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

Buon appetito, Cristina & Francesca

*qb=quanto basto meaning however much is needed.  This is what you commonly see in recipes written in Italian

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Corzetti

17 Friday Apr 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Mangiamo!, Photography, Recipes

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

Cinque Terre, Corzetti, Corzetti with mushroom and walnut sauce, Italian cooking, Liguria, Pasta, Pasta fatta a mano, Pesto Genovese, Printmaking

Corzetti (cor∙ZET∙ti) are a traditional pasta of Liguria, also called croxetti (cro∙shet∙ti) or crosetti in Ligurian.  Corzetti are an embossed pasta shaped to look like gold coins.  The name comes from ‘crux’, latin for cross. They  have been around for a very long time. We know this because the Republic of Genoa had a medieval coin with a Genovese cross and there is a 1362 literary reference to pasta with crossetti served at a banquet.Stampo per corzetti

Corzetti are made with un stampo per corzetti- a corzetti stamp.  This is a 2 part device made of unfinished wood-usually pear wood.   The textured finish of the wood is functional-it transfers to the pasta and helps hold sauce, as does the embossed design. The bottom of the lower half is used to cut the circles. The top of the lower piece and the upper piece with the handle for pressing each have a carved design.Corzetti pasta con grano

Corzetti are like edible woodcut prints!  The perfect pasta for a printmaker.  This must be why I like making them so much!
If you read the posts Le Cinque Terre and Exploring le Cinque Terre, you may remember my determined quest to find a corzetti stamp.  In Corniglia, I found dried corzetti for sale, but no stamp.  I did not notice any restaurants serving them either, but I also did not look very hard.  I finally found a stamp by accident in a tiny shop in Vernazza, the town where we were staying. They were in a basket at the back, where no one could see them!

The design on my stamp is a stem of wheat, with a swirl on the other side.  It cost 11 Euro and was carved by a local fisherman.  I saw a similar one online for $72 US.  You can also custom order stamps but they can be very expensive.  It is much more fun to buy something like this where it is produced.

Noble Ligurian families had their family coat of arms engraved on the stamps.  Designs also include crosses, wheat, gigli (fleur de Lis) or the emblem of il pastaio, the pastamaker.

Circles are cut on a freshly rolled sfoglia or pasta sheet-not too thick, but thick enough to hold the embossing.  Each corzetto is pressed between the 2 parts of the stamp, embossing a design on each side.  If the pasta is rolled out too thin, the designs will transfer to the other side.Stampo per corzetti Corzetti stamp

Corzetti dough is traditionally made with eggs and white wine.  It is usually made with flour and semola rimacinata di grano duro (called semolina in North America) or chestnut flour.  Traditionally, corzetti are served with pesto or olive oil, herbs and pine nuts.  They can also be served with an herb and scallop or mushroom walnut sauce.  I have made corzetti several times now, and here is the dough combination I found works the best:

To make Corzetti:

200g (1.5 cups) 00 or All-Purpose flour

200g (1.5 cups) semola rimacinata (Semolina)

3 medium sized eggs plus 2 yolks-add an extra egg if they are small

60ml dry white wine (1/4 cup)

5ml (1 tsp) Extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Make a well with the flours on a wooden board.  Place the eggs, wine and EVOO in the center and beat with a fork, then slowly start to mix in the flour.  This dough needs to be soft and elastic to hold the embossing and you may not need all of the flour. Keep some to the side in case it is not needed. Once the mixture is less liquid, start to mix by hand.  Knead for 10 minutes.  Roll into a ball, cover and let rest for 30 min.

Use half the dough at a time, and keep the other half from drying out by covering with an upturned bowl.  Roll the dough out by hand 3mm thick.  You can use a pasta machine, but hand rolling will result in a better embossing.  Lightly flour the corzetti stamp.  Cut circles as close together as possible.  Pasta rolled out multiple times will not be consistent thickness and will dry out, and not take the embossing as well. Stand up while pressing down firmly on the top of the stamp with the palm of the hand to get the best quality embossing. This makes 60-65 corzetti.
Corzetti pasta con pesto Genovese

I like to serve corzetti with a traditional Pesto Genovese. This mushroom walnut sauce is also yummy.Corzetti con funghi e noce

Corzetti con Funghi e Noce / Corzetti with Mushrooms and Walnuts

200g porcini mushrooms or mixed mushrooms in season

1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk

2 cloves garlic

Prezzemolo (Italian parsley)

200 g (~3/4 cup) walnuts shelled

30g (2 tablespoons) pine nuts

Dry white wine

EVOO, salt

Finely chop everything except the pine nuts.

Make a soffritto-Fry the onion in olive oil, add carrot and celery, half of the garlic and the pine nuts

In another pan, fry the mushrooms (these can be finely chopped or just separate the tops and bottoms) then add the soffritto. Add wine and cook for 30 min.

Before serving, add salt, the rest of the garlic, and prezzemolo

Cook corzetti in boiling salted water for 3-4 min.  Add mushroom sauce and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Want to try making corzetti, but don’t have a stamp?  Cut circles out with a 5cm (2 inch) diameter drinking glass.  Use a cookie press for the design, or find something that can be lightly pressed to make a design in the dough-a wax seal, a ring, the crosshatch design on your meat tenderizer…..  get creative!Corzetti pasta con grano

It is hard to believe I was in Liguria 11 months ago.  Since we can not travel there-or anywhere at this time, I hope this helps you viaggiare in pultrona… armchair travel to the coast of Liguria and the Cinque Terre.  Buon viaggio and stay safe, Cristina

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Fiori di Zucca

12 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Mangiamo!, Recipes

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Fiori di zucca, Fritelle di zucca, Italian cooking, Pastella, Peppe Zullo, Traditional recipes

Fioridizucca

È davvero finita l’estate! Summer is really over.  I just picked the last fiori di zucca in my garden and I’ll have to wait a long time to taste them again.  Fiori di zucca are a real delicacy and one of my favourite foods.  They are ‘i fiori maschili della zucchina’ the male flowers of the zucchina plant.  The flowers growing off of long, thin stems are male.  The ones growing off the end of a future zucchina are female (femminile).  The female flowers are edible too, but if you pick them there will be no crop of zucchine!  If you pick too many of the male flowers, you will also have no zucchine!

Fiori di zucca maschile e femminile-male flowers grow off of long thin stems and female flowers grow off the end of future zucchine.

Fiori di zucca maschile e femminile-male flowers grow off of long thin stems and female flowers grow off the end of future zucchine.

To clarify, zucca is Italiano for squash or pumpkin. ‘Zucchina’ (given a sex change and called zucchini in North America) means little squash.  The flowers of all 3 can be called fiori di zucca, but it is usually the flowers of zucchine (zucchina is singular and zucchine is plural) that are used in cooking.  Squash and pumpkin flowers can also be used, but they can have a bittery taste.

Fiori di zucca are extremely delicate and will only last a few days after picking. They are even too delicate to freeze.  In Italia it isn’t hard to find fiori di zucca in season.  I recently bought a ‘bouquet’ of them at a market in Foggia for 1 Euro.  Sometimes you can even buy small zucchine with the flowers still attached. I’ve only seen fiori di zucca for sale once in North America, several years ago at a farmer’s market in Seattle.  I won’t even mention how much they cost!  So, if you want to eat fiori di zucca you really need to grow your own-or find a friend who grows them and doesn’t know how good they taste!

Fiori di zucca have a beautiful, delicate taste. I like to cook them a few different ways, but my favourite is in a simple ‘pastella’.  I whisk cold fizzy mineral water (acqua frizzante) with flour or semolino (durum wheat semolina) a drop of olive oil and pepper until it is not too thick or thin-like the consistency of pancake batter.  If it is too thin, it won’t stick, but if it’s too thick, the fiori can be damaged.  Gently clean fiori and remove the sepals-those green leaves at the base near the stem.  Some people remove the stamens inside, but I usually leave them. Dip them in pastella (batter) and fry in hot oil. I usually use grapeseed oil. When they are done, place on a plate with‘carta assorbente’ (paper towel) and add salt.  The bubbles in the mineral water make this pastella light and crispy. The batter doesn’t overpower delicate taste of the fiori like a heavy egg and flour batter would.

Pastellafioridizuccacollage

Fiori can also be stuffed with ricotta before frying (remember the ricotta fatta in casa post) or ‘farciti con mozzarella e prosciutto’-stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto. Gnam, gnam, gnam (English translation…yum, yum, yum).

Lately I have also been making my fiori di zucca into frittelle (little fritters). This is a good way to stretch out your fiori and use broken and torn ones or include some larger pumpkin flowers.  Measurements are not too important here.  I mix some 00 flour and baking powder, then mix in 1 peeled, grated zucchina until it is coated with flour.  Add some fresh torn basil leaves if you have them and some freshly grated parmigiano or asiago and 1 large or 2 small eggs.  Once this is all mixed, add enough water to give it the consistency of pancake batter.  You will need more water than you think!

Fritellecollage

Gently dip the intact fiori in batter and fry in hot oil. When they are finished, chop up the broken ones and add to the rest of the batter.  Drop about 1 tablespoon of batter at a time into the oil to make ‘frittelle.  Place on paper towel and add salt.  They are delicious hot or cold.  For those of you who absolutely, positively can’t manage without measurements….here is a link to a recipe that is fairly similar.

Fritelle

My friend Peppe Zullo in Orsara di Puglia, il ‘cuoco contadino’ www.peppezullo.it picks hundreds of fiori a day in his orto (vegetable garden) when they are in season.  His ristorante serves ‘fiori di zucca al forno, ripiene con caciocavallo’ (baked and stuffed with caciocavallo). Gnam, gnam, gnam!!!

fioreconcaciocavallo

Looking forward to summer when I can enjoy fiori di zucca again! A l’anno prossimo!

 

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