Adri Barr Crocetti

Quilted ravioli

Mom’s pink satin quilt. Filled with the finest goose down, it was the epitome of bedroom comfort. She did not use it all the time. It was a special sort of a quilt, one we kids used only when we were sick. Good and sick, and the arrival of the quilt meant that this sore throat, belly ache or earache was the real deal.

My mom was not the kind of mom who ran to the doctor for every little thing. Not even close. Just ask my brothers and sister if you do not believe me. That is why we knew that when we got the quilt something serious was cooking. It meant that at any moment Dr. Cobley, the family pediatrician, might walk into the bedroom. Yes, Virginia, I am that old. I came of age in the era when physicians made house calls. Read the remainder of this entry »

More from the Corzetti Files

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.

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

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

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

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

visit: Florentine Touch

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.

Spinach Corzetti with Gorgonzola Sauce

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 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 the remainder of this entry »

“…This is another of those great old pastas that must be made manually and is disappearing, but let us revive it…”
– Giuliano Bugialli, in Bugialli on Pasta

Everything old is new again. No jive. Question: What’s a cavarola? Answer: a small rectangular wooden board with a herringbone surface used to make some of the traditional pastas of Italy’s Mezzogiorno. These household boards are relatively small, usually about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. They can be made from any wood – fruit woods and beech being very commonly used. The herringbone pattern is carved into one side of the board, and is transferred to the pasta with a rolling pin. The resulting pasta is unique, lovely to look at and the irregular surface holds condimenti better than any smooth pasta ever could. Read the remainder of this entry »

This is Part 1 of a series
For detailed information and photo essays on how to make corzetti, along with recipes, please delve further into The Corzetti Files:

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

When I first saw one I knew I had to have one. To those of you who know me – no laughing, no eye rolling, please. This time it was for real. And to those of you who do not know me, my friends are laughing because when ever I see any new kitchen item I say I have to have it. But corzetti stamps and the pasta made with them are in a class by themselves. Read the remainder of this entry »