The recipe for pizzoccheri from Valtellina is a rich and hearty dish you will fall in love with, taking you back in time with its authentic and stringy taste.
Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese is the iconic dish of Valtellina cuisine, but it is also appreciated in other regions of Italy. The only difficulty in preparing the dish is finding Casera cheese, a PDO cheese that can be replaced with fontina or Montasio as I did.
You could try making pizzoccheri at home, but if you don’t have the time or desire, you can easily find them in all supermarkets in Italy.
This recipe was given to me many years ago by Paola, a friend of mine. We are talking about 28 years ago when I still lived in La Spezia.
My friend Paola was born in Sondrio and often talked to me about these pizzoccheri.
Pizzoccheri is a typical pasta shape very common in Valtellina. They are known not only for their shape, similar to a tagliatella only 3 inches long, but also for their dough, which is made of 2/3 buckwheat and 1/3 wheat flour.
I still remember well going to her house; my kids and I were invited.
I immediately moved to the kitchen to learn how to cook the famous pizzoccheri.
A simple, delicious dish with exceptional ingredients: buckwheat tagliatelle, potatoes, cabbage, and cheese, with butter as a rich condiment reserved for festive days.
Since then, I took notes and wrote it in my diary. It’s part of my memories, and every now and then, I cook this delicious first course.
A great, flavorful, and tasty first course that you will surely love on a winter day when you want to warm up a bit. Try this exquisite recipe and taste the incredible goodness!
Considered a single and complete dish..
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 737.83 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 68.43 (g) of which sugars 5.38 (g)
- Proteins 29.81 (g)
- Fat 37.81 (g) of which saturated 15.77 (g)of which unsaturated 8.49 (g)
- Fibers 7.69 (g)
- Sodium 1,094.81 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Pizzoccheri from Valtellina
- 14.11 oz savoy cabbage
- 10.58 oz potatoes
- 10.58 oz pizzoccheri (special pasta shape)
- 5.29 oz Montasio cheese (or Valtellina Casera)
- 3.53 oz Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
- 2.82 oz butter
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- 5 leaves sage
Tools
- Pot
- Lid
- Baking Dish
- Skimmer
Preparation of Pizzoccheri from Valtellina
Wash the cabbage leaves, remove the harder central part, and cut them into strips
Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
Cook the vegetables in salted water (when the water boils, add the potatoes, and 5 minutes later, add the cabbage).
After 7 minutes, add the pizzoccheri and cook for another 12 minutes.
(Follow the cooking time indicated on the pasta package).
In the meantime, while the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheeses.
In a sufficiently hot pan, melt the butter with the sage and garlic, until well hot and the garlic has colored.
Avoid burning the garlic, as it will give a bad taste to the whole recipe.
Drain the pizzoccheri with the vegetables.
In a baking dish, lay a layer of pasta with vegetables, then form a layer of cheese, followed by butter and sage.
Make a second layer of pasta, cheeses, and butter.
Finish with a nice sprinkle of Parmesan. Bake in a hot oven at 356°F for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
The pizzoccheri are ready to be served on a plate with a sprinkle of pepper.
Enjoy your meal.
Tips
If you wish, you can prepare this dish in advance and bake it for half an hour at 392°F before serving.
Without mixing, serve the piping hot pizzoccheri with a sprinkle of pepper. Serve the pizzoccheri very hot.
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How can I make this dish lighter?
It’s clear that a traditional dish should remain as it is.
However, if you prefer a lighter version of pizzoccheri alla valtellinese, you can certainly make some substitutions.
For example, use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
A couple of tablespoons may be sufficient. As for the cheese, you can replace Casera with fontina. Of course, do not expect an absolutely dietetic recipe, but you can be somewhat satisfied with a few fewer calories!It’s clear that a traditional dish should remain as it is.
However, if you prefer a lighter version of pizzoccheri alla valtellinese, you can certainly make some substitutions.
For example, use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
A couple of tablespoons may be sufficient. As for the cheese, you can replace Casera with fontina. Of course, do not expect an absolutely dietetic recipe, but you can be somewhat satisfied with a few fewer calories!Do you have the recipe for pizzoccheri?
Buckwheat flour 400 g, stone-ground wheat flour 100 g, water (50%) Mix the two flours, knead with water, and work for about 5 minutes.
Wrap the dough with cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of 2-3 millimeters.
Cut strips of 7-8 centimeters, stack the strips and cut them crosswise to obtain tagliatelle about 5 millimeters wide.
The wrapped dough can be kept for 24 hours in the fridge, then it must be used.Buckwheat flour 400 g, stone-ground wheat flour 100 g, water (50%) Mix the two flours, knead with water, and work for about 5 minutes.
Wrap the dough with cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of 2-3 millimeters.
Cut strips of 7-8 centimeters, stack the strips and cut them crosswise to obtain tagliatelle about 5 millimeters wide.
The wrapped dough can be kept for 24 hours in the fridge, then it must be used.I don’t like cabbage, how can I substitute it?
You can use chard, chicory, and potatoes as vegetables.
You can use chard, chicory, and potatoes as vegetables.
