Pizzocheri
For years, I’ve wanted to create my own recipe for pizzocheri. I first learned to make it at the pasta station at the Culinary Institute of America during Restaurant Row. It was probably the cheesiest, most buttery and decadent thing I’d had aside from mac and cheese. I didn’t grow up eating pasta like Pizzoccheri di Teglio, nor did I have the chance to find it while studying in Lombardia— a regret that I’ll cash in someday. It’s not common to find pizzocheri buckwheat noodles in the U.S., so often you’ll have to make your own, which is what I finally set out to do.
Pizzoccheri di Teglio is a hearty buckwheat pasta layered with boiled potatoes, cabbage, young creamy and nutty cow’s milk cheese ( PDO bitto or casera from Valtellina or an alpine cheese like fontina or gruyere) in a garlic or sage and onion butter sauce. The dish comes from a town called Teglio, located in the Valtellina mountains within the Sondrio province of Lombardy, Italy; can you remember that… Pizzoccheri is so special that it’s protected by the Accademia del Pizzochero di Teglio.
You can make pizzocheri with water and buckwheat flour, but the lack of gluten will make it brittle. A combination of buckwheat and wheat-based flour is a common practice.
According to the BBC: Founded in 2002 by Scínetti along with two dozen other chefs, farmers and residents, the Accademia del Pizzochero di Teglio (Teglio Pizzocchero Academy) had determined that the official Pizzoccheri di Teglio recipe must include pasta made from 75% buckwheat flour, 25% wheat flour and water. (It also stipulates that pizzoccheri pasta should be 5mm wide, 7-8cm long, and 2-3mm thick.)
Although my recipe isn’t the original, it’s a delightful combination of what I remember from the CIA, with the addition of olive oil and butter at the base of the sauce. I need practice (ha ha) because these noodles are far wider than traditional; however, maybe more toothsome and delicious. I am a garlic hound, so I opted for the garlic butter direction instead of onion and sage.
Pizzocheri
Ingredients
Pizzocheri: Buckwheat Noodle
- 100 g. buckwheat flour
- 100 g. OO flour
- 6 tbsp. cold water (about 80g. -70g.)
Sauce
- 4 tbsp. butter (you can use all butter instead of oil.
- 4 tbsp. extra virign olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 small bunch sage
- Kosher salt
- 1 large russet potato, medium diced (1-2 c. cooked)
- 1 small savoy cabbage, small diced (3 to 4 c. cooked)
- 2-4 oz. Fontina or bitto cheese, cubed and divided
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano for serving lot's of it!
Instructions
Pizzocheri: Buckwheat Noodle
- In a small bowl, combine buckwheat and OO flour. Add water and stir to combine until a shaggy mess forms. Knead dough for about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic and leave at room temperature to rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out to about ⅛” to ¼” inch thick, no thicker. And cut pieces in 3” by ¾” pieces.
Sauce
- Bring a large pot (about 6 cups of water to a boil. Salt and add the cabbage. Cook cabbage until wilted, tender, and bright green, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and add potatoes, cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until fork-tender. Set the cabbage and potatoes aside.
- Drain water and fill pot with another 6 cups. Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pizzocheri, stirring often until al dente and toothsome, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook until it begins to turn a golden brown, about 1 minute. The milk solids will separate at this point creating tiny golden brown specks. Add olive oil and stir. Add garlic and cook stirring until the butter begins to foam and the garlic is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add sage, being careful of splatter. Cook for a few seconds until it wilts and crisps up slightly. Add the cabbage and potatoes and toss to coat in the butter sauce. Then, gently fold in the pizzocheri and fontina. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve with lots of grated parmigiano cheese.
