Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

La storia di questo piatto

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina come the mountains of Sondrio's valley might tell it: dark buckwheat ribbons born around Teglio, in a land where the grain was already written down in 1616 and the dish itself took shape between the 18th and 19th centuries. Here the slopes speak in layers — buckwheat, potato, savoy cabbage — until Valtellina Casera DOP and grated grana close the valley's embrace.

Ingredienti

• 320 g Buckwheat flour
• 80 g Soft wheat flour (type 00)
• 180 ml Water for the dough
• 4 piece Medium potatoes
• 500 g Savoy cabbage
• 250 g Valtellina Casera DOP, thin shavings
• 80 g Grated Grana cheese
• 150 g Butter
• 3 clove Garlic
• 6 leaf Fresh sage (optional)
• 30 g Coarse salt for the cooking water
• 2 g Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 3 l Water for cooking
• 400 g Dried IGP pizzoccheri (optional, as an alternative to the fresh buckwheat, 00 flour and water dough)

Preparazione

1. On a work surface, mix the buckwheat flour and the soft wheat flour, form a well and pour the water into the center little by little. Knead firmly for about 10 minutes, until you obtain a smooth, firm ball, neither sticky nor too hard. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes so the flour relaxes and the sheet won't tear. Alternatively, you can use 400 g of dried IGP pizzoccheri (optional ingredient on the list): in that case skip this step and the next and go directly to step 3.
2. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3–4 mm: it should remain a short, thick tagliatelle, not an egg tagliolini sheet. Cut the sheet into strips about 1 cm wide and 7–8 cm long: these are the pizzoccheri, rustic and somewhat rough, as tradition from Teglio demands. Lightly flour them and leave them on a tray while you prepare the rest, so they don't stick together.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (static) so it is well hot when needed. Peel the potatoes and cut them into roughly 1 cm cubes, all the same size so they cook together. Wash the cabbage, remove the hard core and cut the leaves into strips about 1–2 cm wide. Bring 3 liters of water to a boil in a large pot; when it boils vigorously, salt it with coarse salt and add the potatoes.
4. Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes, then add the cabbage and stir well. After another 5 minutes, when the potatoes and cabbage begin to soften, add the fresh pizzoccheri to the same water: they will cook together, as tradition teaches, exchanging flavors. Cook for another 4–5 minutes, tasting a pizzocchero: it should yield softly under the teeth but still have a bit of bite. The total cooking time is about 14–15 minutes (5 + 5 + 4–5). If you use the 400 g of dried IGP pizzoccheri, add them to the potatoes and cabbage after the first 5 minutes of cooking the potatoes alone (with the cabbage added right after) and cook for 10–11 minutes in total, tasting as you go.
5. While the pasta finishes cooking, put the butter in a small pan over medium heat with the garlic crushed under the palm of your hand. If you want the sage variant, add the whole leaves now. Let the butter melt until you smell the garlic aroma rise clearly and see the garlic turn light golden, just a couple of minutes: if it darkens, the butter is bitter and it's best to discard it and start over. If you don't like a strong garlic flavor, remove it before pouring the butter.
6. Drain the pasta, potatoes and cabbage with a slotted spoon or colander, letting them drip well. Set aside a ladle of cooking water: it may be useful to revive the layers if they turn out dry.
7. Butter a baking dish and assemble in layers: a first layer of pizzoccheri with potatoes and cabbage, thin shavings of Casera and a sprinkling of grated Grana. Repeat the layer two more times, always finishing with plenty of cheese on top. Do not salt the layers: the pasta cooked in salted water and the cheeses are already savory. This is how the pockets of melted cheese form that make pizzoccheri what they are.
8. Pour the melted butter with the golden garlic (and the sage, if you chose it) over everything, letting it trickle in several spots so it reaches everywhere. Bake the dish for 8–10 minutes, until the Casera melts into glossy patches. Taste, add freshly ground black pepper to taste, adjust salt only if needed (usually it isn't), and serve steaming hot.