Pizzoccheri Alla Valtellinesi
Why I Love This Recipe
OK, this is the recipe that spawned the homemade Pizzoccheri pasta. This is Lombardian comfort food at it's finest.
Ingredients You'll Need
16 oz Pizzoccheri
12 Oz Savoy or Napa Cabbage, shredded thick
2 medium sized Red potatoes; Peeled and Cubed
1 Leek, sliced thinly, white part only; Divided
7 Sage leaves
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
5 oz Fontina (The real stuff, not the red wax stuff)
3 oz Parmagiano-Reggiano
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Salt water liberally and add cabbage, potatoes and 1/2 of the leek.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the sage leaves and the remaining leek.
Slice the Fontina thinly, as this will be used for layering and you want it to melt fairly quickly.
Watch the butter closely, you need to cook it until it is hazelnut brown (noisette) but don't burn it.
When the cabbage starts to soften, add the pizzoccheri and cook for 10 minutes. (If you are using dried pasta is till need to cook about 15 minutes so add it when the cabbage becomes bright green, but not yet softening)
When the butter is nut brown, remove from stove and move to a container you can pour from easily, like a glass measuring cup (This will stop the cooking so the butter doesn't get any more brown.
Fish out the sage leaves.
Using a skimmer, remove 1 1/2 skimmers full of the pasta/cabbage/leek/potato and let drain for a few second, then move to a warm pasta bowl.
Add a few slices of Fontina cheese adn a sprinkle of Parmagiano.
Add another skimmer full of the pasta mixture, a layer of Fontina, sprinkle of Parmagiano, drizzle of sage/leek butter.
Continue until all ingredients have been used.
Then pour the Sage butter over the top.
Serve.
