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Stand By Your Pan – Don’t Throw Away that Le Creuset!

Posted February 17, 2014 By Adri


My Old Le Creuset 9qtOven


With apologies to Tammy Wynette, singer and co-writer of the country standard Stand by Your Man, I’m calling this one Stand By Your Pan. This is a good news story, that in our age of lax, unconcerned customer service and “throw it away and buy new” mentality, I am both proud and pleased to relate. Read more… »

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Broccoli with Homemade Cavatelli and Crudo Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Posted January 19, 2014 By Adri


Homemade Cavatelli with Broccoli


This dish is simple, unfussy, and flexible. Maybe that is one reason why it is so good. Vibrant green broccoli and toothsome pasta are tossed with toasted pine nuts, peperoncino flakes, Parmigiano, and warm garlic-scented olive oil. And what oil this is. When I decided to write this article, it was going to be about how to make a simple dinner and the traditional pasta corta (short pasta) known as cavatelli, but once I tasted a spoonful of the Crudo Extra Virgin olive oil, my perspective shifted, and the dish ran away with the spoon. Read more… »

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Stracnar with Sausage and Pepper Ragù – more with a cavarola board

Posted August 24, 2013 By Adri

Stracnar and Stracenate, 2 names, 2 regions, 1 pasta


It is the height of summer here in Southern California, and I’ve been busy with frozen desserts, but a family has to eat. In between grilled steaks, chops and lots of salads we enjoy pasta tossed with hearty sauces of meat, tomatoes and herbs.


Stracnar with Sausage Ragu


This dish comes from Southern Italy where the days are hot and the sun is high. The regions of Italy’s south, known collectively as the Mezzogiorno, include Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia, and Sicily. This large swath of the country has long been regarded as separate, divided linguistically and culturally from the north. Even today, over one hundred and fifty years after unification, Italians proudly proclaim their own region’s unique heritage, and enjoy the same foods as their ancestors. Read more… »

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Where to buy Corzetti stamps

Posted January 14, 2012 By Adri

More from the Corzetti Files


Corzetti Stamps-640x396-0993_425


I have heard from many of you out there who said you need help finding a corzetti stamp (stampa). While I have included sources for corzetti stamps in my other articles about corzetti, (corzetti stampati or croxetti), here is a list of corzetti stamp makers and how to contact them.


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One can purchase corzetti stamps from Terry Mirri of Artisanal Pasta Tools in Sonoma, California. The stamps are fabricated to order; you can choose from three different styles of stamp, multiple choices of woods and a wide variety of choices in carved design.

Artisanal Pasta Tools
Sonoma, California, USA
707-939-6474 between 9 AM and 6 PM Pacific time

Visit Artisanal Pasta Tools


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Intagliatore Signor Franco Casoni of Chiavari, Liguria. Sig. Casoni will make a custom stamp to order from your own design. He carves his stamps from beech.

Franco Casoni
Via Bighetti 73
16043 Chiavari (GE) Italia

Visit Sig. Casoni’s web site


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Intagliatore Signor Pietro Picetti will carve a custom stamp for you from historic designs or a design of your own. He uses beech, pear, and other hard, fruit woods.

Mr. Pietro Picetti
15 Via Pieve
19028 Varese Ligure
La Spezie, Liguria, Italia
Telephone 0187/842195


Italian Flag Wingding2-100x16

Filippo Romagnoli
3/5 Via Firenze
50028 Tavarnelle Val di Pesa
Firenze ITALIA

visit: Florentine Touch


Italian Flag Wingding2-100x16
This is Part 4 of a series – The Corzetti Files.
For detailed information and photo essays on how to make corzetti, along with recipes, please delve further into The Corzetti Files:

Edible Art, The Corzetti Files – Part 1

The Intagliatore of Chiavari, The Corzetti Files – Part 2

Corzetti agli Spinaci con Gorgonzola, The Corzetti Files – Part 3

Where to Buy Corzetti Stamps, The Corzetti Files – Part 4

Corzetti Stampati – and a Giveaway! The Corzetti Files – Part 5

And if you have questions about this delightful pasta or the tools used to make it, please feel free to leave your inquiry in the comment section.

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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Corzetti Stampati agli Spinaci con Gorgonzola

Posted December 18, 2011 By Adri

Spinach Corzetti with Gorgonzola Sauce

Spinach Corzetti-640x550-0997_427

This is Part 3 of a series – The Corzetti Files
For detailed information and photo essays on how to make corzetti, along with recipes, please delve further into The Corzetti Files:

Edible Art, The Corzetti Files – Part 1

The Intagliatore of Chiavari, The Corzetti Files – Part 2

Corzetti agli Spinaci con Gorgonzola, The Corzetti Files – Part 3

Where to Buy Corzetti Stamps, The Corzetti Files – Part 4

Corzetti Stampati – and a Giveaway! The Corzetti Files – Part 5

Well, it is all about Christmas now, and that means special pasta dishes. In years past I have served filled pastas such as ravioli, caramelle, or sometimes tortellini, but this year I decided to break with tradition and serve corzetti stampati, Liguria’s embossed pasta coins. Also known as croxetti, these embossed pasta circles have a history that stretches back to the glory days of La Serenissima Repubblica di Genova, The Serene Republic of Genoa, an independent state based in present day Liguria. I thought green corzetti would be particularly in keeping with the season, so I decided to make spinach pasta dough for them.

Corzetti Stamps-640x396-0993_425

Corzetti are cut using a most ingenious two piece wooden tool, la stampa. The bottom of one piece is used like a cookie cutter to cut a round piece of pasta. The top of the cutting piece and the bottom of the second piece are artfully carved and are used to imprint the pasta coins. Read more… »

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Corzetti: The Intagliatore of Chiavari

Posted April 21, 2011 By Adri

Corzetti TitleC

This is Part 2 of a series – The Corzetti Files
For detailed information and photo essays on how to make corzetti, along with recipes, please delve further into The Corzetti Files:

Edible Art, The Corzetti Files – Part 1

The Intagliatore of Chiavari, The Corzetti Files – Part 2

Corzetti agli Spinaci con Gorgonzola, The Corzetti Files – Part 3

Where to Buy Corzetti Stamps, The Corzetti Files – Part 4

Corzetti Stampati – and a Giveaway! The Corzetti Files – Part 5



A Gold Coin
Coin Reverse The pasta we know as Corzetti started with a gold coin, the Genovino d’oro. Rome had fallen, and the curtain of The Dark Ages had descended over western Europe. Trade has fueled society for centuries, and it is trade that brought gold coins and light back to western Europe. The gold came across the Sahara from north Africa and Genoa’s harbor assured her of preeminent mercantile stature. King Conrad granted Genoa the right to mint her own gold coinage in 1252, and these pieces of almost pure gold summon up the history and wealth of The Most Serene Republic of Genoa.

 

 

Coin ObverseComing in at about 3.5 grams, the earliest of these coins feature the city gate and to honor King Conrad and his participation in the Crusades, a Crusader cross on the reverse. The coins are covered with a beautiful relief. One of the most famous coins honors the first Doge of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra, and later coins honor subsequent families and Doges. Today one must visit a museum or be fortunate enough to know a collector to view these coins, but with Liguria’s gift to the world of the pasta known as corzetti stampati (kohr-TSEHT-tee stahm-PAH-tee), the legacy of these glorious coins is alive and well and available to us all.

 

A Piece of Wood
I have an ongoing love affair with handmade pasta, and this one captivated me from the start. Imagine my delight when I discovered its history, how it was made, and that I could do it at home. All I needed was a corzetti stamp, the two piece tool that cuts and imprints the pasta. By the way, you may come across pasta in shops, in recipes or on menus called croxetti, crosetti or curzetti – these are all names for corzetti. Read more… »

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