Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

La storia di questo piatto

Born where granite peaks scrape low clouds and winters press silence into stone, pizzoccheri carry the soul of Valtellina in every dark, rough edge — a peasant food that never apologized for being exactly what the mountain needed it to be.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Pizzoccheri (buckwheat tagliatelle)
• 3 piece Medium potatoes
• 300 g Savoy cabbage
• 150 g Butter
• 200 g Grated Casera cheese
• 3 clove Garlic
• 10 g Salt
• 2 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 liters Cooking water

Preparazione

1. Peel the potatoes by pressing the vegetable peeler into the skin and pulling it toward you in short, firm strokes, rotating the potato between each pass. Cut the potatoes into small cubes the size of dice (roughly 1 centimeter on each side): this way they will cook all at the same time and evenly throughout. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water. Slice the leaves into strips as wide as a finger: cut the leaves just as you would slice an onion. Discard the tough core at the center by carefully cutting all the way around it with your knife.
2. Fill a large pot with cold water and add a generous handful of salt: when you taste the water with your finger it should taste like seawater. Turn the heat to its highest setting. When you see large bubbles rising from the bottom and crackling on the surface, that means the water is boiling: add the cut potatoes. Stir immediately with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. After 5 minutes, pour all the sliced cabbage into the water that continues to boil. Stir well with the spoon to distribute it evenly. The cabbage and potatoes are ready when the pieces become tender: to check, pierce a piece of potato with a fork and it should give way easily, almost crumbling under the pressure, without offering any resistance whatsoever.
4. Pour the pizzoccheri (the dark noodles) directly into the boiling water with the potatoes and cabbage. Stir immediately and thoroughly with the spoon to prevent them from sticking together. After 2 to 3 minutes, fish out a piece with the spoon and taste it: when you bite into it, it should yield slightly, it must not be gummy or mushy. Also taste a bit of the cooking water: it should taste like a salty, flavorful broth. If it is not salty enough, add a small pinch of salt and stir.
5. While the pizzoccheri are cooking, turn on another burner: place a small saucepan with the butter over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves (use the flat side of a chef's knife, pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand to crush the garlic). Listen and watch carefully: when you hear the butter beginning to sizzle gently and you smell the intense aroma of garlic rising up (after about 1 to 2 minutes), turn off the heat immediately. The garlic should be a beautiful golden-blond color. If you see it turning dark brown or black, it is burned: discard it and start again with fresh butter and fresh garlic.
6. Position a large colander over a bowl or another pot. Pour the entire contents of the large pot into it: the pizzoccheri, potatoes, and cabbage will fall into the colander while the cooking water will drip into the bowl below. Save this water in a ladle: you will need it to make the dish creamier and to blend all the ingredients together properly.
7. Pour the drained pizzoccheri into a large serving bowl or a deep serving platter. Pour the butter with garlic over the pizzoccheri, distributing everything evenly: try to let the butter, garlic, and its oil fall in various spots on the plate, not all together in one single place. Add one ladle of the cooking water that you saved.
8. Grate the Casera cheese directly over the plate, generously (about 3 to 4 good handfuls). Mix gently using a wooden spoon: lift from the bottom toward the top to blend everything together without breaking the pizzoccheri, which are fragile. Taste it: if you want more salt, add it little by little and stir again. If you want pepper, grate it over the top with a grater. Serve immediately, while the dish is still steaming hot.