Often called scarpinocc di Parre this meatless crammed pasta is a singular conventional dish from an historic mountain village in Lombardy. Scarpinocc is a really rustic pasta created with largely easy substances that had been accessible to the farming households of the previous. Wealthy in milk, butter, cheese and eggs it is a selfmade pasta you’ll want to attempt!
Historical past and origins.
Scarpinocc is a singular crammed pasta from a small village within the Bergamo province of Lombardy, referred to as Parre. This village of simply 3,000 inhabitants lies within the Seriana valley on the slopes of the Trevasco and Alino mountains, 25 kilometres from Bergamo and about 70 kilometres from Milan.
This pasta is an emblem of the culinary traditions of Parre, the place it’s a conventional a part of vacation meals and celebrations. In actual fact, the villagers maintain a scarpinocc competition yearly in August and historically make this pasta on June 29th, the village patron saint’s day, St Peter.
The identify scarpinocc displays the pasta’s uncommon shoe form. Scarpa means shoe in Italian and this pasta is claimed to resemble handmade fabric sneakers worn by the villagers up till the center of the final century.
Parre is an historic pastoral village wherein milk, butter and cheese have lengthy been staples within the native food plan. Scarpinocc include milk and melted butter in each the filling and the dough and cheese within the filling. So, this fairly a wealthy crammed pasta although it’s meatless, harking back to instances when not everybody might afford meat.
The substances for the pasta dough.
As talked about above the dough for scarpinocc di Parre is sort of wealthy. It incorporates a mixture of mushy wheat flour and semolina flour, milk, eggs, a pinch of salt and a few melted butter.
The flour: Some scarpinocc recipes use solely mushy wheat flour. Right here in Italy, that’s often what Italians name ‘00’ flour, which is the best milled white flour. You can too use all-purpose flour.
The recipe I adopted referred to as for some arduous wheat semolina flour at a ratio of 1:4. (100g semolina flour to 400 g mushy wheat flour). Semolina flour is larger in gluten and helps the pasta hold its form when cooked.
Milk: Use complete milk for a richer creamier flavour.
Eggs: As a result of there may be different liquid within the dough, you solely want 1-2 eggs. I like to make use of free vary natural eggs.
Butter: Italian butter is almost at all times unsalted. Should you use salted butter don’t add extra salt to the dough.
Components for the filling.
The filling for scarpinocc isn’t cooked. What you want is breadcrumbs, grated Grana or Parmigiano, butter, eggs, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and milk.
Breadcrumbs: I made my very own breadcrumbs by toasting some nation bread and mixing it in my meals processor. You are able to do the identical with stale bread, so that you don’t must toast it. Or use ready-made breadcrumbs. Nevertheless, the latter are typically very tremendous and bigger breadcrumbs are higher to get the fitting filling consistency.
The cheese: Apparently previously, the inhabitants of Parre used a robust native mountain cheese referred to as ‘motel’. These days, scarpinocc often incorporates Grana or Parmigiano. Nevertheless, these cheeses aren’t vegetarian as they include animal rennet. Vegetarians might want to use a tough cheese made with plant based mostly or microbial rennet.
Milk and eggs: As with the dough, complete milk and free vary eggs are greatest. The quanties of each are virtually the identical as for the dough, 1-2 eggs and 200ml milk (about ¾ of a cup). You might not want all of the milk.
Spices: The filling for scarpinocc is flavoured with spices, most often cinnamon, nutmeg and crushed cloves. Some recipes additionally included finely chopped parsley and garlic.
For the condiment.
Scarpinocc are historically served with both simply browned butter and cheese or with browned butter and sage, Italians say ‘burro e salvia’. This can be a quite common strategy to gown crammed pasta. I used butter and sage and added a bit of grated cheese earlier than consuming.
make the scarpinocc dough.
To make scarpinocc, first soften the butter used for the pasta dough. Let it cool. Then place the ‘00’ flour and semolina flour right into a bowl with salt and eggs. Now add the cooled melted butter. Begin to combine every little thing collectively utilizing a fork while including the milk a bit of at a time. Knead the dough within the bowl utilizing your palms.
After getting the beginnings of a shapeable dough that doesn’t persist with the edges of the bowl, flip it out onto a floured work floor and proceed kneading along with your palms for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough right into a ball and wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and let it relaxation for about half-hour.
Make the filling.
Whereas the dough is resting make the filling. Soften some extra butter and make the breadcrumbs if utilizing selfmade. Put the cheese, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl.
Add the cooled melted butter and eggs and pour within the milk. Combine every little thing collectively beginning with a spoon or fork after which along with your palms till you’ve got fairly a strong paste. You might not want all of the milk.
Make and form your scarpinocc di Parre.
As soon as the dough has rested, minimize off a bit. Roll it right into a thick rope. Utilizing a dough scraper or knife, minimize the rope into gnocchi-like items. Use a rolling pin to make the dough items into skinny circles of pasta about 6cm in diameter, ensuring you might be constantly turning the dough, so you find yourself with a circle, and never a protracted oval.
Place one small ball of filling in every circle. Fold and seal to create a half-moon form. Then fold the half with the filling up and over the surface curved edge, to make the scarpinocc barely rise up. Press within the heart along with your index finger to acquire the standard Scarpinocc form.
Place the prepared scarpinocc on a floured tray and repeat with the remainder of the dough. To see find out how to form this pasta try this video from Pasta Grannies.
Serving your scarpinocc.
Soften butter in a pan that’s giant sufficient to carry the pasta too. Add torn sage leaves and permit them to crisp. Put aside.
Boil the scarpinocc in salted water till the dough is cooked by way of and the insides are additionally warmed by way of – this takes a bit longer than standard for contemporary pasta, however nonetheless solely round 5-7 minutes, relying on the scale. Check style earlier than eradicating the pasta from the water.
Use a slotted spoon to take away the scarpinocc from the pot and add it to the melted butter and sage. Fastidiously combine the pasta and butter collectively over a low warmth for a minute or so. Serve instantly with additional grated cheese if required.
What to do with leftovers.
Leftover cooked and dressed scarpinocc could be stored sealed within the fridge for 2-3 days and reheated within the microwave.
Raw scarpinocc could be frozen after which cooked with out defrosting. Freeze the crammed pasta unfold out on a tray or plate. Then switch to a freezer bag.
Leftover filling, in case you have any, is scrumptious fried in butter or oil like fritters!
FAQ
Italian grana and Parmigiano cheeses aren’t vegetarian as they include animal rennet. To make this recipe vegetarian might want to use a tough cheese made with plant based mostly or microbial rennet.
You’ll be able to roll out pasta sheets utilizing a pasta machine after which minimize 6cm circles (0.4″) out of it. However you should have extra wastage. Some scarpinocc recipes name for squares as an alternative of circles however this is not conventional.
Let me know the way your scarpinocc prove!
I completely love the flavours on this rustic and distinctive crammed pasta. That is Italian mountain fare at its most scrumptious! Should you make this pasta at residence, I would love to listen to the way it seems. Write a remark right here on the weblog or be a part of and publish a remark and picture on my Pastaliciousness Fb group.
Your suggestions is essential to me!
Buon appetito!
Pin for Later.
Different rustic crammed pasta to attempt.
- Ofelle gnocchi ravioli from Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Ligurian potato and mint ravioli
- Fried rye flour ravioli from the South Tyrol
- Prune and fig candy ravioli from the Carnia Alps.
In case you are interested by studying find out how to make selfmade pasta and several types of gnocchi, try my store web page for some nice video on-line programs from my buddies in Rome! Nothing beats studying to make pasta from Italians! Plus whilst you’re there why not order a duplicate of one among my pasta recipe cookbooks or some pasta making instruments? They make nice prezzies for pasta lovers.
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