In Emilia-Romagna, the traditional meal for la notte di Capodanno (New Year’s Eve) is lentils served with cotechino sausage. It ushers abundance, luck and prosperity into the year ahead. The lentils resemble a hefty pile of coins, and despite having humble origins in Modenese cucina povera, calorically-decadent cotechino is a harbinger of luxury in the coming year. I don’t know about you, but I’m not taking any chances with lady luck in 2021. I intend to do everything I can to give her the legs she needs to run circles around bound and gagged 2020, and that includes eating my way into her good graces.
While I have a deep respect for tradition, it gives my socially-distant heart a jolt of comfort to add a deft dose of modern glitz to a timeless flavor combination. To that end, I’ve reimagined the lentils and sausage as a filling for caramelle pasta gilded in edible gold, because nothing says self-care like a forkful of 14 karats. The gold comes from luster dust, which is just glitter that is safe to eat. It’s available from cake decorating supply shops, craft stores such as Michaels, and online. Look for one that is FDA-approved so you can be sure the product you’re buying meets culinary standards. Bakell and The Sugar Art are two reputable brands.
Caramelle means “candies” in Italian, and this pasta shape is so-named not because of the flavor, but the form. When fashioned correctly, they resemble the kind of joyful confections you might have found inside an apothecary jar in a bygone drogheria.
The recipe calls for a high alcohol spirit. I prefer to use grappa because sipping a small bicchiere of it whilst pasta-making quiets the mind and helps the heart to control the hands. I believe you can taste the difference when pasta is made from the heart. Use Everclear, vodka or gin if you don’t have grappa. Combine the gold dust with the alcohol, which enables it to brush smoothly onto the pasta. The alcohol evaporates once the pasta is boiled, so it’s safe for kids and non-drinkers. If you absolutely must avoid alcohol, you can use water instead; just stir with all your vigor when mixing up the gold, to prevent it from clumping.
Cotechino is named for the cotica -rind - that is ground along with other fatty pork bits, and then stuffed into sausage casings. It benefits from a longer braise in water or stock than this recipe allows for, and so it’s best to use another fresh, soft pork sausage instead. It will still be dripping with indulgence, non ti preoccupare. Mild Italian sausage with somewhat neutral flavors works very well here. Be sure not to use an aged sausage such as soppressata- it won’t break down in the cook time allotted.
I will leave you to your own devices when it comes to dreaming up a sauce for these beauties, save to advise you to keep it simple. The filling is nuanced and rich with its own complex flavor profile. There is no need for sauce to compete with that, rather it should act as a complement. Sage or rosemary browned butter would be a delight, and of course a freshly-grated blanket of Parmigiano Reggiano never goes out of style.
Sausage and Lentil Caramelle by Linda Miller Nicholson, a.k.a. Salty Seattle
If you’re feeling extra, double the filling recipe and toss half of it with tagliatelle one day, then puree the rest for caramelle the next.
Serves 4
Special Equipment:
Pasta sheeting machine of any sort, rolling pin, rolling pasta cutter wheel, food processor, small paintbrush for applying luster dust to the pasta
Ingredients for the filling:
2 tsp olive oil
½ lb fresh pork sausage, chopped
1 small shallot, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
2 c water or chicken stock
½ c lentils
2 bay leaves
2” stem of rosemary
3 cloves
½ lb potato, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Ingredients for the pasta:
2 ¼ c flour (double zero or AP will both work fine)
4 large eggs
½ tsp gold luster dust (optional)
1 tsp high alcohol spirit such as grappa or vodka (optional)
Method:
Filling: Add the olive oil to a medium Dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the sausage for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the shallot, carrot, and celery. Stir until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the water or stock and the lentils. Wrap the bay leaves, rosemary and cloves in cheesecloth so that they’re easier to remove from once cooked, and add to the pot along with the potato, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the lentils and potatoes are tender but not mushy.
Puree in a food processor, and once the mixture reaches room temperature, spoon into a piping bag or plastic freezer bag.
Pasta: Combine the flour and eggs in a bowl and stir until a ball of dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and continue to knead for 5 minutes, so that the dough develops elasticity and silkiness and bounces back when you depress it with a finger. You can also make the dough in a food processor or stand mixer. Seal the ball of dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before sheeting. Alternatively, the dough can rest for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
To sheet the pasta: Divide dough in thirds so it doesn’t dry out, and work with one third at a time. Reserve the dough you are not using in plastic wrap.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough rectangle, about ¼” thick, and no wider than the length of your pasta machine rollers. Dust with flour as needed so that the dough doesn’t stick to the pin or surface.
Set the roller on your pasta machine to the widest setting and feed the pasta dough through the rollers. Feed it through again on the second-widest setting. Fold the dough in half lengthwise, and flour both sides.
Feed it through on the widest setting again. Now feed it through on the third-widest setting and then fold it in thirds, like a letter destined for an envelope. This is called laminating the pasta sheet. Use a rolling pin to press together the pasta “letter” so it retains its rectangular shape in the pasta machine. Feed the dough through on the widest setting, and then the third-widest setting. Repeat the lamination process two more times to develop strength and elasticity in the dough, flouring as needed. On the final lamination, fold the pasta such that it is approximately 4” wide, and sheet it to the third thinnest setting on the pasta machine.
To form the caramelle:
If you would like fluted edges as shown in the picture, use a fluted rolling pasta cutter to trim ¼” off both lengthwise edges of the pasta sheet. Start at one short edge of the pasta sheet and work your way along it. Pipe a tablespoon of filling every 4” down the center of the pasta sheet. Cut the pasta sheet crosswise just before the next dollop of filling, the entire way down, thus forming rough 4” squares with the filling at one centered end.
Roll the edge of the pasta sheet around the filling. Roll the sheet over once more, like you’re wrapping up a piece of candy. Using your thumb, middle and forefingers, pinch the caramella on either side of the filling to make a classic candy shape. Repeat the process to form the remaining caramelle.
To decorate the caramelle:
Place the caramelle on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper that has been dusted with flour so the pasta doesn’t stick. Put ½ tsp of luster dust in a shallow dish and add a few drops of high alcohol spirit. Use a small, clean paintbrush (a watercolor brush works well) to stir the luster dust into the alcohol, forming a thin suspension. Continue to stir until there are no clumps of dust, adding a touch more alcohol if necessary. Using decisive but gentle strokes, brush the tops of your caramelle in whatever pattern you desire. Use your imagination and have fun! Don’t paint the bottom as you will serve these facing up, and it would be a waste to bury your sparkle.
Allow the caramelle to dry for an hour at room temperature before boiling. You may also store the pasta on a parchment-lined, flour-dusted sheet pan uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Increase the cooking time by a minute if working with refrigerated pasta.
Boil in salted water for 3-4 minutes, drain, toss with sauce, and serve immediately with the gold facing up.
Buon Anno Nuovo!