Casoncelli alla bergamasca recipe

Casoncelli alla bergamasca, as served by Il Sole
restaurant in Bergamo's Città Alta 

Casoncelli, or casonsei as they are called in dialect, are part of Bergamo’s proud culinary tradition and visitors who have sampled them while in the city have spread the word about how tasty they are.

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!

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