A 15th century quotation from a collection of medical recommendations under the title Medicinalia quam plurima, preserved in the library of the University of Genoa, Italy, reads, “One shouldn’t overindulge in the consumption of lasagne, corzetti, taglairini, tortellini, and the like.” It’s hard to believe that a doctor would write such a thing, especially when considering that pasta in Italy is ubiquitous, in every shape and size. It’s practically an institution.
There’s also the reference to the little known corzetti. These are a type of round lasagna, imprinted with designs on both sides and characteristic of the Riviera di Levante and of Genoa itself. There is a lot of theoretical history (much of which is fabricated) to this fresh pasta. For example, it is said that a local wealthy family once made corzetti for Maria Luigia of Borbone, who was traveling to France to marry Napoleon.
Corzetti were certainly served by aristocratic families to display wealth and status, since it was labor-intensive pasta made by the servants in the kitchen. The earliest Genovese cookbooks from the mid-1800s, simply describe corzetti as “round lasagne” dressed with a meat sauce. A commercial pasta maker from Liguria calls them “Croxetti” and notes that they date from the time of the Crusades, and were marked with crosses. (Cröxe in Genovese dialect means “cross.”) It is possible that they may date from the Renaissance, and were featured at weddings, stamped with the coats of arms of both bride and groom.
Traditionally, corzetti are made by hand with a wooden tool, which is turned from woods that do not have properties that would flavor the pasta. Corzetti stamps are designed to cut the rolled pasta into circles by the cutting surface on the bottom. Hand-carved designs emboss the cut pasta circles, and the impressions hold the sauce. The carvings today are typical imprints such as fruits, leaves, trees and graphic patterns.
Corzetti stamps can be difficult to acquire. There are a rare few experts in Genoa who still turn the wood and hand-carve with these delightful artisan tools. To celebrate Corti Brothers’ 60th anniversary in the grocery business, Darrell Corti commissioned sets of corzetti stamps with the Corti Brothers logo on one side and a traditional design on the other. These have been turned by machine, but were hand-carved in Genoa. The woods used for these stamps are the traditional “faggio” beechwood and pear wood, neutral woods which do not give any flavor.
Since making corzetti is a time-consuming culinary task, it might seem that it is best suited to those with either a lot of free time or extra kitchen helpers. On the contrary: this is a pleasant undertaking on a rainy day or an amusing activity to keep children occupied in the kitchen. The job can be accelerated by using the cutting bottom to cut one disc, and then using the top stamp to mark it while cutting the next disc.
Another type of corzetti is “corzetti della Val Polcevera.” These are in the form of flattened figure eights. Made by stretching a small ball of pasta with both index fingers, these corzetti are related to the crosets of Provence and Savoie and crosits of Piemonte. Since time is usually of the essence and one may need a short-cut in the kitchen, commercially-made, ready-to-cook corzetti also are available; however, it takes a bit of the fun and romance out of creating this little known, yet delicious form of pasta.
A Traditional Recipe for Making Corzetti:
• 1 pound of all-purpose white flour.
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• A full glass of white wine
Prepare the dough as for making normal egg pasta sheets. Put the flour on a kneading board, add the salt, make a well in the flour and add the egg yolks. Add half of the wine and slowly incorporate the mixture into the flour. You can use a fork to do this at the beginning.
As the flour is incorporated, add the remaining wine, slowly working it into the dough. When all the wine is added, knead dough vigorously until very smooth and plastic. Put into a bowl and let sit covered for a half hour or so.
Cut ball of dough into three pieces and begin to make sheets with it using either a rolling pin or a pasta machine. The thickness should be about 1/32 of an inch. Roll out the pasta sheets and dust with flour to prevent sticking. Cover with a cloth to prevent drying out.
Take one manageable sheet of the pasta and with the cutting end of the corzetti stamp, cut a disk from the sheet. Then put the cut pasta disk between the engraved sides of the stamp. Pressing down on the pasta, you will emboss both sides with the design on the stamp. You now have corzetti. Do this with the remaining pasta sheets.
Once all of the pasta has been cut and stamped, let it dry for an hour or more on clean, floured dish towels.
Fill a large pot with cold water, add salt to the water and bring to the boil. Put the corzetti in to the water, stirring to prevent sticking. When the water comes back to a boil, check the tenderness of the corzetti and drain when al dente. Reserve about one cup of the cooking water.
Place into a large bowl or platter that has been covered first with whatever sauce is used. If the corzetti are too dry, they should be moistened with a bit of the reserved cooking water. Serve with grated cheese.
SERVES FOUR
Simple Sauce:
Melt one stick of sweet butter in a sauté pan. Add one tablespoon fresh, whole marjoram leaves and two tablespoons Mediterranean pine nuts.
Lift corzetti out of cooking water with a slotted spoon and add to the sauté pan. Keep the sauté pan on a low heat and, if necessary to make the pasta less tight, add a couple of spoonfuls of the corzetti cooking water. Crush the marjoram and pine nuts together lightly in a mortar and add them to the butter.
Walnut sauce (a traditional Ligurian sauce made with walnut meats):
• 1-1/2 cups walnut meats, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes; then dried in a towel, rubbing off their skins
• 1 medium garlic clove (or to taste)
• A handful of bread crumbs (the white part of a loaf or the inside of a roll, soaked in milk and squeezed dry)
• 20 or so individual leaves of fresh marjoram
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup light fruity olive oil (not a green oil)
• A pinch of salt and some warm water if necessary
Pound all the ingredients together in a mortar or use a blender. Add oil and warm water slowly to produce a semi-dense paste. Dress the corzetti with the sauce, and thin with some of the cooking water if too dense.
You can find corzetti stamps at Corti Brothers. For more information, call 800-509-FOOD or visit
cortibros.biz.
