Pizzoccheri or Buckwheat Pasta
To prepare a delicious recipe that combines cabbage, potatoes, and pizzoccheri, start by boiling the sliced cabbage and peeled potatoes. You can leave them whole or, depending on their size, cut them in half. This step is essential to ensure even cooking of the ingredients. Use salted water to enhance the flavors, and once they have boiled, set them aside.
In the meantime, you can start preparing the dough for pizzoccheri. Mix the two types of flour, gradually adding room temperature water and a pinch of salt. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and no longer sticks to your hands. Once you have achieved the right consistency, let it rest for a few minutes to relax the gluten. Then, roll out the dough into a sheet about 3 mm thick and cut it into strips 5 mm wide and 7-8 cm long.
When the cabbage and potatoes are cooked, you can choose to leave them in the pot, then add the pasta to the same water to take advantage of the already existing flavors. Since these are fresh pasta, boil them for just a few minutes until they become al dente. Taste them to ensure they are perfectly cooked, keeping in mind that they will be baked further in the oven.
While the pasta is boiling, prepare a delicious sauce. In a pan, place the butter along with the garlic cloves, which you can crush or cut into large pieces. Let the butter melt and infuse with the garlic, but at the end, you can choose to remove the garlic, especially if you are serving this dish to guests.
Now is the time to assemble the dish. In a baking dish, preferably made of heat-resistant glass, layer successive layers of cabbage, potatoes, pizzoccheri, grated cheese, and slices of cheese. Continue adding layers until you have exhausted the ingredients, being careful to maintain a beautiful appearance. Finally, pour the garlic-infused butter on top.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and place the dish in the oven. Let the dish bake until the cheese melts and becomes golden on top. Serve it hot, without mixing in the dish, to maintain the elegant appearance of the layers. You can add, if desired, a little freshly ground pepper on top for an extra hint of flavor. This recipe is not only comforting but also full of flavor, perfect for a family meal or with friends.
Ingredients: Ingredients: for pizzoccheri 100 g buckwheat flour 50 g white wheat flour (for bread or pastries) water at room temperature as needed to knead and obtain a non-sticky dough and obviously flour and buckwheat and white wheat as needed to sprinkle on the board and rolling pin 1/4 cabbage preferably Savoy 4-5 potatoes if small (the size of an egg or smaller as I used) 80 g butter 2-3 garlic cloves (do not use Chinese garlic) 100 g slices of cheese Grana or grated cheese salt and pepper
