The Croxetti of Varese Ligure with Pesto is a type of pasta made with a wooden mold on which noble families would engrave their family crest. The entirely hand-carved wooden mold consists of two parts: one serves as a stamp and the other, cylindrical with an engraved concave part, is used to cut the pasta into rounds. The dough is simple with flour, eggs, water, and salt, but the local recipe also includes butter and Parmesan. For the sauce, you can choose between pine nut and marjoram pesto, Genoese ragù, or as in this recipe, a delicious Genoese Pesto.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Liguria
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 543.28 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 74.63 (g) of which sugars 2.24 (g)
- Proteins 18.66 (g)
- Fat 21.11 (g) of which saturated 4.14 (g)of which unsaturated 15.18 (g)
- Fibers 2.41 (g)
- Sodium 1,170.61 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 262 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
- 3.5 oz re-milled durum wheat semolina
- 7 oz all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3.5 oz Genoese Pesto
- 3/4 oz pine nuts (toasted)
- 6 leaves basil (for decoration)
Tools
- Food Scale
- Bowl
- Pastry Board
- Pasta Machine
- Stamp for croxetti
Steps
If you want, you can add 1 oz of grated Parmesan and 1 oz of butter to the dough as some local recipes suggest.
Pour the sifted flours into a large bowl, add the eggs, salt, and water. Mix and once the ingredients are combined, pour everything onto the pastry board and knead. Form a dough ball and let it rest covered with a cloth for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough ball in half and using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll it out into a sheet about 1 inch thick. On the floured pastry board, cut the sheet with the concave side of the mold to form rounds. Place them well-centered on the opposite side and press down with the stamp so that the figure is engraved. Allow them to dry on a floured cloth, spaced out.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it and drop the Croxetti in. Let them cook for 15 minutes, then drain and dress with pesto. Garnish with pine nuts toasted for a few minutes in a small pan, a few basil leaves, and serve.
