Today chef Silvia Barban takes us to Lombardy via pizzoccheri, a specialty of Valtellina, a region in the Alps that borders Switzerland. Made from a mix of standard and buckwheat flour, this fresh pasta is usually prepared with potatoes, butter, Casera cheese, and stewed savoy cabbage.
“This dish was a great surprise, a moment of happiness," says Barban. "When I was little, my family and I would go to Valtellina a few times a year to ski and every time, we would always bring back pizzoccheri with us. On those winter days whenever it wasn't expected, my mother will be saying ‘guarda che ti ho preparato!’ [Look what I made for you!] Pizzoccheri was the answer. My sister and I would be so happy and that dish would change our day. Nowadays, my mother will surprise me by saying ‘look what I made,’ but now I’m behind a camera in my home in Brooklyn looking at those pizzoccheri. But it doesn’t make me sad because the look on my mother's happy face makes my day. Now I can just make them myself and continue the tradition in another country, so why not share this recipe and more stories."
Watch the video to learn about making pizzoccheri with Chef Silvia Barban!
Pizzoccheri recipe by chef Silvia Barban
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the pizzoccheri
¾ cup buckwheat flour
¾ cup ‘00’ or all-purpose flour
½ cup + 1 oz. water (you can also use milk to make it richer)
For the sauce
1 big Yukon gold potatoes cut it into 1-inch cubes
8 oz. Savoy cabbage (it's better if you use the yellow part of it and use the green leaf for stock or braised)
6 oz. Casera, Fontina, or Bitto/ Raclette cheese cut it into 1-inch cubes
1 stick butter
2 garlic cloves
6 sage leaves
3 oz. Grana Padano cheese, grated (it's never enough, add as much you would like)
salt
fresh ground black pepper
Method:
Peel and cube the potatoes, wash, and place them in cold water.
Trim and core the Savoy cabbage. Split the leaves in half, remove the ribs, and then cut into 2″ wide strips.
Sift the ‘00’ or all-purpose flour and the buckwheat flour in a bowl or directly onto the table.
Make a well and then in the center start to add ½ cup water then, little by little, add the rest of the water if needed. Knead till you have a smooth dough.
Cover the dough with a wet towel or bag and let rest on the table for around 30 minutes.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a ⅓ cm thick sheet. Cut into 3″-wide long strips that are just under ½″ wide.
Crush the garlic clove with the palm of your hands and place it in a pot with butter and sage, cook it at low temperature for 10 minutes, until the garlic and butter are golden-brown.
Add 6 qt. water to a large pot. Once boiling add the salt.
Add the potatoes. After 2 minutes, add the cabbage and cook for 4 minutes. Drop the pizzoccheri into the water with the cabbage and potatoes and cook for 4 minutes.
Cut the cheese into 1″ cubes or smaller. Remove the pizzoccheri, potatoes, and cabbage from the water with a skimmer and transfer to a bowl. Top with the cheese cubes, butter, and plenty of grated Grana Padano in layers.
Mix, mix, and mix, and serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.