You can make these decorative pasta coins even without a traditional corzetti stamp. Use an engraved rolling pin to create a pattern on the dough, then cut it with a round cookie cutter. Or try pressing the bottom of a food processor feed tube on the dough to make a pretty pattern of concentric rings. Alternatively, simply cut out geometric or whimsical shapes with cookie cutters.
Corzetti stamps come in two pieces. The bottom is a cylinder with two functions: One end is used like a cookie cutter, to cut out coins of pasta, and the other end is carved to produce an embossed image. The top piece has a carved image on the bottom and a knob for holding it on top. Pressing a cut-out disk of dough between the two carved ends of the corzetti stamp creates a different image on each side of the pasta disk.
You’ll need a hand-cranked pasta machine or a pasta-roller attachment for a stand mixer.
Corzetti traditionally are dressed with a classic pesto and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or with butter, fresh marjoram, pine nuts and Parmesan.
The pasta dough needs to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before being rolled. Corzetti should dry at room temperature for 1 hour to hold their imprint. The air-dried corzetti can be sealed in an airtight container or a freezer-safe zip-top bag and placed in the freezer for up 3 months.
From cookbook author Domenica Marchetti.
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Ingredients
measuring cupServings: 4 (makes about 1 pound; 80 to 100 pieces)
Directions
Step 1
To mix the pasta by hand: Measure the flours into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine, then dump the mixture onto a clean work surface to create a mound. Make a wide well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and beat lightly with a fork to break them up. Carefully pour in the water and sprinkle in the salt. Use a fork to begin incorporating flour from the inside wall of the mound into the egg-water mixture to form a thick slurry. Once the mixture is too thick to mix, start kneading. Continue to knead until you have incorporated all the flour or enough to make a stiff ball of dough. Knead for a few minutes more, until the dough is smooth.
Step 2
To mix in a food processor: Measure the flours and salt into a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Break the eggs into the flour mixture and, with the motor running, pour in the water through the feed tube, processing until the mixture forms large, curdlike crumbs. Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and gather it together to form a rough ball, then knead for several minutes to make a smooth, stiff ball of dough.
Step 3
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Cover a kitchen table with a clean, simple tablecloth and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Or line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with clean kitchen towels and sprinkle them with flour.
Step 4
Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and rewrap all but 1 of them (so they don't dry out). Use a hand-crank pasta machine or a stand mixer pasta-roller attachment to stretch the piece of dough to a long strip that is somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick. (The slightly thicker pasta makes for a better embossed image that won’t fade during cooking.) Let the sheet dry slightly while you roll out the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
Step 5
Use the cutting end of the bottom piece of the corzetti stamp to cut out as many disks as possible from each sheet of pasta. Ball up the scraps and wrap them in plastic; you can roll these out one more time to make more corzetti, if you like.
Step 6
Place a pasta disk on top of the carved end of the bottom piece of the stamp. Press the top piece of the stamp firmly onto the disk to emboss it on both sides, like a coin. Set the coin on the prepared table or baking sheet. Continue to emboss all of the pasta rounds. (If any parts of the stamp stick, just dip them lightly in flour.) You should end up with 80 to 100 pasta coins, depending on whether you reroll the scraps. Let the corzetti dry for about 1 hour. This, too, will prevent the impressions from fading when the pasta is cooked.
Step 7
To cook, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat, then salt the water generously. Drop in the cavatelli and return the water to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain in a colander set in the sink.
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Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories
310
Fat
4 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Carbohydrates
57 g
Sodium
330 mg
Cholesterol
95 mg
Protein
11 g
Fiber
2 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
From cookbook author Domenica Marchetti.
Tested by Domenica Marchetti.
Published March 2, 2016
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