Corzetti Stampati – and a Giveaway!

A Pasta with a Past


We have a winner!

The winner is Carolina Chirichella of the website La Cucina Della Prima Donna!
Congratulazioni, Carolina!


Corzetti stamp from Artisanal Pasta Tools

Win this corzetti stamp made by Artisanal Pasta Tools!
Tell me your favorite pasta shape in the comments at the end of the article!

This is Part 5 of The Corzetti Files



corzetti, corzetti del Levante, corzetti stampati, croxetti, curzetti n. coin-shaped, embossed egg pasta, typical of Liguria

Call this pasta what you will, the craze is on. When I first wrote about corzetti stampati (stamped pasta coins) almost three years ago, a Google search yielded few hits in English. Today there are hundreds. Corzetti even has its own Twitter hashtag: #corzetti. Tradition is a good thing, especially when it comes into vogue. One of the people driving this popularity is Terry Mirri, owner of Artisanal Pasta Tools. In his Napa California workshop he fashions wooden corzetti stamps and other tools of classic Italian cooking. I extend my thanks to Terry who has provided a hand made corzetti stamp fashioned of Osage Orange wood as a prize for this Giveaway.


The contest is now closed.


Map of Liguria

Liguria is a verdant strip of Italy that arcs along the Italian Riviera. Green herbs, garlic, vegetables, fruit and nut trees grow in profusion in this sun-drenched land, protected from the bitter northern winds by the mountains that form Liguria’s land borders. As the summer sun recedes and the wet weather arrives, the fertile earth gives forth meaty porcini mushrooms. This is a land where plants and flowers thrive, and the silvery leaves of olive trees glimmer in the Italian sun.


Making Corzetti Stampati


Corzetti stampati has been part of the region’s culinary tradition for hundreds of years. The pasta stretches back to the height of The Most Serene Republic of Genoa. A maritime titan, Genoa (now the capital of Liguria) grew rich through trade. Her gold and silver Crusader coins with their images of the Crusader’s cross, also known as the Jerusalem cross, and the gates of the city were memorialized through the two piece wooden stamps used to make this pasta.

Stamps also feature coats of arms, lucky symbols, Christian crosses, and other decorative designs, all made to order for families and cooks. These ingenious tools both cut and imprint the pasta. Traditionally they are made of neutral woods such as pear or beech, woods that will not flavor the dough.


White, Wheat, Chestnut Flour

The dough can be made with white, whole wheat, or chestnut flours. Often all three versions are served together for textural and color variation. Vermentino wine and marjoram can be added to the dough, imparting true regional flavor; even the steam that rises from the pot is remarkably fragrant. For this recipe I used proportions I learned from Giuliano Bugialli, the master himself.

Dough for corzetti stampati is rolled a bit more thickly than for many other pastas in order to hold the raised design. This increased thickness coupled with the compression that occurs during stamping produce a pasta with more bite than other shapes. The condimento (sauce) adheres to the nooks and crannies of the design, delivering a tasty mouthful with every bite. The stamps themselves require little care. Gentle cleaning with a soft brush or towel is adequate. Like a favorite rolling pin, keep the stamps out of water.


Artisanal Pasta Tools Corzetti Stamps

These stamps, of beech, olive, and ebony, were made by Terry Mirri, owner of Artisanal Pasta Tools.



Corzetti Stampati with Butter

Corzetti stampati are often dressed with pesto, tocco de noxe (walnut sauce), or tossed with marjoram, butter, and pine nuts, as seen here.


Vegetable Literacy Cover

Marjoram

Marjoram


Just the other day I opened Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy and saw her recipe for Thick Marjoram Sauce with Capers and Green Olives. The book, a veritable encyclopedia of the world’s vegetables and herbs and how to use them, is a must for any bookshelf. The enticing sauce, its heady scent redolent of olives and herbs, is a match made in paradise for this pasta.




Marjoram Sauce with Capers and Green Olives

Vittorio Cassini Olive Oil





To make the sauce, I used a Ligurian olive oil from Vittorio Cassini. Golden, fruity and low-acid, with notes of almond, this oil is pressed from Taggiasca olives. If you find oils from other parts of Italy too strongly flavored, too green or too spicy, try a Ligurian oil. By their very nature these monocultivars (oils made from one variety of olive) are mild, silky, and quietly seductive. The Cassini oil formed the perfect backdrop for the intensely flavored ingredients to come. La Nicchia Capers from the island of Pantelleria added their unique piquant bite to the sauce. These buds, picked by hand and packed in salt, are some of the finest Italy has to offer.



Bella di Cerignola Geen Olives

Ms. Madison’s recipe also calls for green olives. I used Fratepietro Bella di Cerignola Olives sent to me by Beatrice Ughi of Gustiamo, a purveyor of Italian foods, in New York. The olives are grown in windswept Puglia. I pitted them myself, literally carving the flesh from the pits, but it was a chore worth doing. These big meaty beauties infused the sauce with their fruity richness and smooth flavor. Pine nuts, a clove of garlic, and a piece of country bread drizzled with red wine vinegar completed the mix. The sauce is reminiscent of two Ligurian classics, herb pesto and agliata (also known as aggiadda), that pungent mix of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and vinegar soaked bread.


Badia Coltibuono Vinegar



The red wine vinegar can have significant impact on the sauce. I tried two different types. Verrini Munari Rossoforte enriched the sauce with its rich, somewhat sweet flavor, while Badia a Coltibuono lent its assertive, classic red wine vinegar taste. While both were very good, I preferred the Badia a Coltibuono here. The recipe makes a generous amount of sauce, enough for this pasta and more for later.



Corzetti Stampati with Marjoram Sauce

Corzetti Stampati with Thick Marjoram Sauce with Capers and Green Olives


Serves 4 as a primo

Pasta

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cold water
1 extra large egg
Pinch of salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Pine nuts and marjoram sprigs or leaves to garnish plates
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Make the pasta

Method 1:
Place the flour on the work surface. Make a fontana (well) in the center by hollowing out a spot about the size of an orange. Place the egg, salt and water in the fontana, and mix with a fork. With each stroke of the fork, bring a small amount of flour into the mix, being careful to avoid creating lumps. Use your free hand to shore up the sides of the mound of flour until enough is incorporated to form a soft, supple dough. Once the dough has come together in a shaggy mass, gather it and set it aside. Use a bench scraper to clean the work surface. Scatter a bit of flour over the work surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic and just barely sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest 30 minutes.

Method 2:
Place the flour and salt in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Place the egg and water in a measuring cup and use a fork to lightly mix. With the processor running, add the egg mixture in a steady stream until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Check to see if the dough is too wet or too dry, adding flour or water, as needed. Remove the dough from the processor and knead about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic and set aside to rest 30 minutes.

Make the corzetti stampati

Making Corzetti Stampati

Roll the dough:
Line 2 sheet pans with clean kitchen towels or parchment. Dust lightly with flour and set them aside. Cut off one quarter of the dough, keeping the reminder wrapped. Scatter a bit of flour across the work surface, and roll the dough to 1/16th inch thickness. I go to the second to the last setting on my 35 year old Atlas pasta machine.


Cutting Corzetti StampatiMaking Corzetti Stampati


Form the corzetti stampati:

Dip the circular cutting edge in flour and cut discs of pasta. Let the discs rest several minutes on the counter to dry.





Making Corzetti StampatiMaking-Corzetti-Stampati



Lightly flower the carved surfaces of the stamps. Place one pasta disc between the two carved surfaces, and use firm downward pressure to imprint. Place the corzetti stampati on the prepared sheet pans and dry at room temperature for 1 hour.





Making Corzetti Stampati


Cook the corzetti stampati:
Bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 3 tablespoons of coarse sea salt, and add the corzetti stampati. Cook about 3 minutes, until done. Drain, reserving the pasta cooking water.


Corzetti Stampati with Marjoram Sauce
Dress the corzetti stampati:
Transfer one third to one half of the sauce (recipe follows) to a warmed serving bowl. Add olive oil to thin to desired consistency, starting with 1-2 tablespoons. Add the drained pasta, tossing to coat, adding more sauce, if desired. The sauce may be thinned further with pasta cooking water or more olive oil. Garnish the plates with marjoram leaves or sprigs, if desired, and serve. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano and extra pine nuts at the table.



Thick Marjoram Sauce with Capers and Green Olives
Makes about ⅔ cup

This thick sauce – almost a paste – is ideal for spreading on vegetables, hard-cooked eggs, or firm-fleshed fish or for mixing with pasta or rice. If you want more of a salsa verde than a paste, you can make it thinner by using more oil. Either way, it is a compelling sauce. I always teach this dish in classes and have students make it by hand in a mortar. They wonder why they’re working so hard, but just one bite and they know. If you prefer, you can, of course, use a food processor.

1 slice country bread, crusts trimmed
2 tablespoons aged red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
Sea salt
⅓ cup marjoram leaves
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
1 cup finely chopped parsley
10 pitted green olives
½ cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

Put the bread on a plate and sprinkle the vinegar over it. Pound the garlic with ½ teaspoon of salt in a mortar until smooth, then work in the marjoram, capers, pine nuts, parsley, and olives, pounding until you have a coarse puree. Add the bread and olive oil and work all the ingredients together until the sauce is well amalgamated. Season with pepper, then taste for vinegar, add little more if you think it needs it. The sauce should be very thick. It will keep for several days.

Excerpted from Vegetable Literacy © 2013 by Deborah Madison
Reproduced with the permission of the author
All rights reserved



Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes
by Deborah Madison
Photographs by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton
Hardcover: 416 pages
Ten Speed Press (March 12, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607741911
ISBN-13: 978-1607741916

Cook’s Notes:
Vittorio Cassini Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Verrini Munari Rossoforte red wine vinegar, and Badia a Coltibuono red wine vinegar are available from Olio2go.

La Nicchia capers and Green Bella di Cerignola Olives are available from Gustiamo.


This is Part 5 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 now for the contest!

It is easy to enter: Just comment below and tell me your favorite pasta shape.

Not to worry, there is no right answer. Be sure to enter your email address so I can contact you if you win. And, remember to enter your email in the email field and not the body of the comment. Your email address will not be shown or used for any purpose other than to contact you for this #Giveaway.

Entries are limited to shipping addresses in the United States of America, and its territories.

The Official Fine Print:
Giveaway begins on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 9:01 pm Pacific Time, and closes on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. My computer is the official timekeeper for this Giveaway. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to an email from AdriBarrCrocetti.com, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Be sure to allow email from AdriBarrCrocetti.com if you use an email filter program.

Immediate family members (parent, child, sibling, IRS dependent and spouse of each) of AdriBarrCrocetti.com and Artisanal Pasta Tools are not eligible to participate.

Entries open only for shipping addresses in the United States of America, and its territories. This Giveaway is void where prohibited by law, and is open only to those 18 years and older. Please, only one comment per person.

This is a Giveaway through sweepstakes where the winner will be selected in a random drawing on or about October 18, 2013 from all eligible entries received during the sweepstakes period. The number of eligible entries received will determine the odds of winning. The winner will be announced within 24 hours of the drawing.

The prize is a hand made corzetti stamp provided by Artisanal Pasta Tools for the purposes of this Giveaway, approximate retail value of $70.00 USD.

By entering your name below you are agreeing to these rules in The Official Fine Print.

You enter by leaving a comment below, and doing so gives me permission to publish your online name (avatar name, blog name, or handle) in an announcement here on AdriBarrCrocetti.com.

Since we all know there could be technical problems, let there be even Finer Print:
AdriBarrCrocetti.com and Artisanal Pasta Tools assume no responsibility or liability for a) any incorrect or inaccurate entry information, or for any faulty, failed, garbled or jumbled electronic data transmissions; b) any unauthorized access to, or theft, destruction or alteration of entries at any point in the operation of this sweepstakes; c) any technical malfunction, failure, error, omission, interruption, deletion. If, for any reason, the sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned then we reserve the right at our sole discretion to cancel and restart the sweepstakes.

Thank you for visiting my site and for commenting. I moderate all comments personally. Please allow a few hours for your comment to appear.

Buona fortuna!


Corzetti Stampati with Marjoram Sauce and Pine Nuts


Disclosure: I received, for this sweepstakes, the Osage Orange wood corzetti stamp at no charge from Artisanal Pasta Tools. From Gustiamo I received the Fratepietro Bella di Cerignola olives at no charge. I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I otherwise have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.


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147 Comments

  1. Ping from MARY BETH CAPONETTO:

    I have so many different kinds that my husband and I just love…but I guess a favorite of mine would be linguine or ravioli. We eat pasta dishes at least 4 times a week!

  2. Ping from Jennifer:

    I love penne because my favorite dish is penne fume made by my husband. These stamps look amazing! I would love this with a pumpkin or nutmeg flavor.

  3. Ping from Angelica Alvarado:

    mi piace tutta la pasta ma bucatini e la mia pasta preferita
    Grazie!

  4. Ping from Beth Beeman:

    Yes, the stamps are very interesting

  5. Ping from Daniela:

    tagliatelle…my mom’s specialty

  6. Ping from cathy LiPera:

    Love them all but if had to pick farfalle. Love the stamps.

  7. Ping from Ashley:

    My favorite pasta shape is fusilli!

  8. Ping from Mary Theresa Simonetta:

    Beautiful

  9. Ping from Paul D. James:

    Orechiette for a shape — gnocchi is my favorite to make (potato) but papardelle is a close second or third — as long as it’s see-through thin and just cooked 😉

  10. Ping from Massimo Chisessi:

    My favorite pasta shape is irregularly-torn sheets.

  11. Ping from Kim Di Maggio:

    Oh my, I love the stamp pasta idea. Great!
    My favorite pasta shape….hummmmm…Stelline (stars) oh no wait…farfaline (little bows). All pasta good!
    Thank you for turning me onto your beautiful wooden stamps for pasta.
    Ciao,
    Kim

  12. Ping from Alex De Vivo:

    I do not think there is a single pasta shape I do not like, but if I had to choose, my favorite would be spinach tortellini……and in a Ragu Bolognese….mmmmm…..heaven

  13. Ping from Diana:

    All pasta is my favorite, but, if I have to choose one, it would be my home made maccheroni Toscani…….

  14. Ping from Aileen Harmon:

    Favorite = all of them! Currently penne or perhaps that pumpkin ravioli we had last week. However I’ve never had Corzetti!

  15. Ping from John J Gandy Jr:

    Chitarra

  16. Ping from Rebecca Romani:

    These are amazing! And I love the idea of serving them with pignole. My favorite shape, round, handcut pasta cut with a pasta wheel and then shaped for ravioli and stuffed with interesting stuffings.

  17. Ping from Maria Marino:

    My favorite pasta type is orecchiette. My mom always makes an amazing dish, orecchiette con broccoli. As a kid it was the only way she could actually get me to eat broccoli, and now it is one of my favorite dishes.

  18. Ping from SUSANNA SARTORATO:

    I love italian pasta….we are the best
    but I’m living in Italy…but I try

  19. Ping from Mary Jane Derr:

    I love pasta and Italy. I would like to thank you for this give away. Also thank you for your pasta recipe. Mine is different recipe. Your recipe looks easy.

  20. Ping from Mark Gramaglia:

    ANGEL HAIR

  21. Ping from Diana Colello Cary:

    Definitely Cavatelli, Gnocchi is a close second!!

  22. Ping from Christina @ChristinasCucina:

    My favorite pasta shape/cut is SPAGHETTI! But I love most shapes, so I\\’m not too picky. These stamps are incrediblly gorgeous! I have never seen them before! I think my family was too poor to have something this fancy, in Italy 😉

  23. Ping from Gabriela Whitten:

    Buccatini…so fun to eat!

  24. Ping from Marla:

    Beautifully photographed post as always. So want to go to Liguria to see this town that these are from. So close and yet so far away. Love tajarin mostly and plin as well ans just about every other variety.

  25. Ping from Mary Smith:

    My Zia taught me to make gnocchi when I was about 10 or 11. My favorite part was rolling them off the tines of the fork. A lot of work but well worth it. Gnocchi, by far, is my favorite

  26. Ping from Helene Weatherfield:

    Mostaccioli are my favorite. My mother used them to make what she called “pasta au gratin” which is just a Parmesan béchamel version of mac and cheese, but it’s still one of my favorites.

  27. Ping from Carolina Chirichella:

    My favorite pasta shape is rigatoni!

  28. Ping from Michelle Davidson:

    LOVE!! LOVE!! LOVE!! THE Corzeti Pasta!!!
    They look so elegant but simple!
    I have ALWAYS wanted one of these stamps but just never found the extra money!!
    By the way.Love your websit!!

  29. Ping from Alba Marina De Micheli:

    tutte buonisssime

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