Valtellina Pizzoccheri

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina | Editors of Phaidon Press | Silver Spoon Pasta | Phaidon, 2009 | Serves 6

Don’t think that pizzoccheri (peet-zo-key-AIR-ee) has anything to do with pizza. Pizzoccheri is a hearty flat buckwheat noodle found in the Lombardy region. Valtellina is one of the north-most points of Lombardy, near the Swiss border, and I’ll bet pizzoccheri is a popular dish at the end of a day’s skiing. Although this recipe generically calls for “low-fat cheese,” fontina is most often used in combination with Parmesan for this sauce. —Linda Avery

convert Ingredients
For the pasta
1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, preferably Italian type 00, plus extra for dusting
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
Salt

For the pasta sauce
14 ounces savoy cabbage, shredded
1 potato, chopped
Scant 1/2 cup butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
4 shredded fresh sage leaves
5 ounces sliced low-fat cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Method
Make the pasta
1. Sift together both flours and a pinch of salt into a mound on the counter and make a well in the center. Add the egg, 1 tablespoon warm water, and the milk and gradually incorporate the flour with your fingers, adding more warm water if necessary. Knead until smooth.

2. Roll in a damp dish towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Make the pasta sauce
1. Put the cabbage and potato into a pan, add water to cover, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the potato is almost disintegrating.

2. Divide the butter between three small pans and cook the onion, garlic, and sage in the separate pans until soft and golden brown.

3. Roll out the pasta dough into a fairly thick sheet on a lightly floured counter and cut into 1/2-inch wide ribbons about 8 inches long.

4. Add the pizzoccheri to the pan of cabbage and potato, cook for 5 minutes, then drain, and transfer the mixture to a large dish. Pour the three hot butters over the mixture and toss lightly.

5. Arrange a layer of  pizzoccheri-vegetable mixture on the base of a soup tureen, place a layer of cheese slices on top, and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Continue making alternating layers until all the ingredients are used. Serve hot.

Recipe © 2009 by Phaidon Limited. Photo © 2009 Leo Gong. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.