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| Casoncelli alla bergamasca, as served by Il Sole restaurant in Bergamo's Città Alta |
The pasta shape is made by folding a sheet of pasta over the filling and pressing it together at the edges in the manner of ravioli. The finished shape looks a bit like a wrapped sweet.
You can make casoncelli at home, reminding yourself of your enjoyable stay in Bergamo, by following this simple recipe.
Pasta ingredients:
Flour, 400gr
Wheat bran, 200 gr
Two eggs
Water
Filling ingredients:
Breadcrumbs, 125 gr
One egg
Grana Padano cheese, 125 gr
Sausage meat, 150 gr
Cooked beef, 100 gr
Amaretti 5 gr
Raisins 10 gr
One peeled and chopped pear
Nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper
Lemon peel
Parsley
Garlic
Preparation:
Mix flour, eggs and a pinch of salt on a pastry board with enough water to make a smooth dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Melt a knob of butter in a saucepan and brown sausage meat, pear and beef. Add chopped parsley and minced garlic.
Tip the meat into a bowl and add the cheese, breadcrumbs, crushed amaretti, eggs, raisins and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together well.
Roll out the pasta and cut into two lengths. Place a spoonful of filling every few centimetres along the first length of pasta. Fold the length of pasta over to cover the filling and cut out half moon shaped discs along the length. Repeat with the second length. Press each disc gently in the middle with your finger.
Cook your casoncelli in boiling salted water, drain and then serve them sprinkled with grated cheese. Top with melted butter, chopped fresh sage and diced cooked bacon.
Pour yourself a glass of chilled Valcalepio Bianco to accompany the dish. Buon Appetito e Salute!
Thanks for the recipe. I tried it with duck I had overcooked a bit and cherries instead of pear. Turned out alright. Next time I'll do it as you have it and improvise from there.
ReplyDeleteI gave the recipe to the Chef at a little Italian restaurant here in Pittsburgh,PA and he made it for us. It was fantastic. What a great dish.
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