Casonsei alla Bergamasca. When I lived in Bergamo we used to drive up into the mountains once or twice a year to eat polenta taragna. The starter was invariably casoncelli, or casonsei in the bergamasco dialect. Slightly sweet filled pasta dressed with sage and pancetta. Makes a generous 8 servings.
Casoncelli finished dish
For the pasta:-
- 400 g 00 flour
- 100 g durum wheat flour
- 2 eggs
Mix together all the ingredients along with enough water to make a dough. Knead until smooth. Let it rest for half an hour or so and then roll out into reasonably thick sheets. A hand cranked pasta machine will be a great help with this.
Casoncelli filling ingredients
For the filling:-
- 125 g dry breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 70 g grated grana
- 150 g sausage meat or minced pork
- 100 g cooked roast beef
- 1 amaretti biscuit
- 10 g sultanas
- 1/2 medium pear
- Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 1 chopped garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Chop all the ingredients together in a food processor to make a smooth paste.
Method 1
This method is used by people who need to prepare large quantities.
Cut the sheet of pasta in half lengthways.
Casoncelli pasta
Place a teaspoon of the filling at regular interval at regular intervals along the strip of pasta.
Casoncelli pasta with filling
Fold over the pasta and press down to seal. Try to exclude as much air as possible to avoid them bursting when cooked.
Casoncelli folded pasta
Separate the pasta using a round pastry cutter. You should have a Half Moon Shape.
Casoncelli half moons
Turn the half moon on its side and flatten it a little with your thumb.
Casoncelli shaped
Method 2
This method takes a little longer, but is a little easier if you haven’t had a bit of practice.
Cut out 7 cm discs of pasta using a pastry cutter. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each disc. Fold over and seal to form a half moon shape. Continue as in method 1.
Cook the casoncelli in plenty of salted water. Meanwhile fry the pancetta and sage in the butter until it is well flavoured. Serve the pasta dressed in the butter and topped with the grana.
Casoncelli dressing
To dress the pasta:-
- 80 g butter
- 100 g cubed pancetta
- 100 g grated grana
- A few sage leaves
Filed under: Amaretti, Beef, Bergamo, Eggs, Garlic, Grana, Lemon, Parmigiano, Pasta, Pears, Pork, Primo - first course, Recipe, Sage, Sausages, Sultanas
This post first appeared on Culinaria Italia - Italian Food And Cooking, please read the originial post: here
