Corzetti Stampati – and a Giveaway!

A Pasta with a Past

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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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