Cuisine at home Forums
This looks and sounds SO tasty! - Printable Version

+- Cuisine at home Forums (https://www.forums.cuisineathome.com)
+-- Thread: This looks and sounds SO tasty! (/showthread.php?tid=117303)



This looks and sounds SO tasty! - labradors - 02-16-2011

One of the great shows on the El Gourmet channel is Villa Della Pasta.

[Image: 1villadellapasta.jpg]

The host, Donato di Santis, was born in Milan, worked in a number of places (including having been Gianni Versace's personal chef) and moved to Argentina (home of El gourmet) ten years ago. He's one of the channel's most popular chefs and has done a number of shows for them.

[Image: 2donato.jpg]

On Villa Della Pasta, Donato shows how to make a lot of different types of pasta from scratch, using authentic and traditional methods, tools and recipes. The most recent episode was for a type of pasta of which I had never heard before, but turns out to be a VERY old tradition in and around Genoa: Corzetti.

Corzetti are discs of pasta traditionally made with a Corzetti stamp.

[Image: 3stamp.jpg]

Once the pasta dough has been rolled out to be very thin, the bottom of the base of the stamp is used to cut out discs of pasta in the same manner as one would use a cookie cutter.

[Image: 4cutting.jpg]

Afterwards, each disc is placed onto the top of the base.

[Image: 5ontostamp.jpg]

Next, the top of the stamp is placed on top of the disc.

[Image: 6stamping.jpg]

When the top is pressed down, it imprints a design (something artistic, a monogram or a family crest) into the pasta disc which improves not only the appearance of the pasta, but also its ability to hold sauce.

[Image: 7corzetto.jpg]

Here's the final dish he prepared, along with the translated recipe.

[Image: 8corzettiinpesto.jpg]

Corzetti in Genovese Pesto-Mascarpone Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
  • Flour: 2.2 Lbs, sifted
  • Eggs: 4
  • Olive oil: 2 Tbsp.
  • Water: As Needed
For the Genovese Pesto:
  • Garlic: 1 head, peeled and cloves cut in half
  • Basil leaves: 2 cups
  • Coarse sea salt: 1 Tsp.
  • Pine nuts: 7 Oz.
  • Grated Parmesan cheese: 1 / 2 Cup
  • Grated pecorino cheese, 1 / 2 Cup
  • Olive oil: 1 / 2 Cup
  • Mascarpone cheese: 7 Oz.
Instructions:
For the pasta:
  1. Pour flour onto the counter.
  2. Make a hole in the middle of the flour.
  3. Add eggs, olive oil and add a little water.
  4. With your hands or a fork, lightly beat the eggs.
  5. Gradually combine ingredients from outside to inside.
  6. Knead until the dough is a smooth ball.
  7. Allow the dough to rest in a warm place.
  8. Roll the dough through a pasta machine, using smaller and smaller settings until the dough is very thin. If necessary, sprinkle the rollers with semolina before each time through.
  9. With a circular cutter (or the cutting side of a corzetti stamp), cut the dough into 1 1/2" discs.
  10. With a fork, press a cross shape into each disc (or use the stamp side of a corzetti stamp).
  11. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the corzetti.
For the Genovese Pesto:
  1. Place the garlic, basil, salt and pine nuts into a mortar and pestle.
  2. Mash the ingredients to make a paste.
  3. Add the Parmesan cheese.
  4. Mash in just until thoroughly combined.
  5. Add the grated pecorino.
  6. Mash in just until thoroughly combined.
  7. Add the olive oil.
  8. Mix in well, until the pesto is smooth.
  9. Into a hot sauté pan on top of a double boiler, place the pesto.
  10. Incorporate the Mascarpone into the pesto well.
Assembly:
  1. Add the cooked corzetti to the pesto.
  2. Mix well and serve.

Of course, I'll have to use the fork method, but this recipe is definitely going onto my to-make list.


Re: This looks and sounds SO tasty! - esgunn - 02-16-2011

Neat idea! I just want to be in that warm sunny garden eating pasta!! OH, and drinking wine!


Re: This looks and sounds SO tasty! - cjs - 02-16-2011

Seems like I've seen those 'discs' of pasta with a sheaf of wheat imprinted, but can't remember where or when. I'm with Erin, would love to be in the garden right now!

I've done similar sauce but have not added the mascarpone, hmmmm. sounds delicious


Re: This looks and sounds SO tasty! - Lorraine - 02-16-2011

What a neat idea, and the sauce sounds great.


Re: This looks and sounds SO tasty! - DFen911 - 02-16-2011

I'm just enthralled with the first image I could be eating a booger and be happy if I were there

But the recipe does sound very tasty indeed.


Re: This looks and sounds SO tasty! - Gourmet_Mom - 02-16-2011

Oh my! I'm glad I had swallowed that sip of wine in time! Denise, you're hilarious!

I agree on the garden...what a lovely place. Like Jean, I have a recipe similar to this, but no marscapone. The kids call it swamp pasta...LOL! It's one of their favorites. Sometimes I'll double the recipe and add garlicy chicken cut up in it. I'll have to try it with some marscapone. Sounds yummy!


Re: This looks and sounds SO tasty! - foodfiend - 02-16-2011

Yum. Soooo, who's going to make this first?!?!?