Wild Wintercress Corzetti
Spring heralds the time to harvest one of my favorite wild greens - wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) - an herbaceous biennial plant in the mustard family. The rosettes that form prior to going to flower are remarkably similar to broccoli rabe. The bitterness you might experience eating it raw is easily eliminated with a quick blanch and shock in ice water. You can then treat them as you would any other greens - sauteed with some good olive oil and garlic.
I wanted to make a pasta that was built around the spring wintercress harvest and got fixated on corzetti - a coin shaped pasta that originates in Northern Italy. Each medallion of pasta is imprinted with a decorative stamp that in many cases has been carved by artisans who have spent their lives uniquely focused on this singular pursuit. What began as a mark of nobility has evolved into an art form. Instead of paying big bucks to have one shipped over from Italy, the tinkerer in me was intrigued by the idea of making one myself. I got my hands on some cherry wood, some basic carving knives, and had myself a go at it. In the process I found myself totally captivated by the meditative enjoyment of carving. The resultant stamp is perhaps a bit rough around the edges but at the end of the day it works.
The final dish is pretty simple. Corzetti with wintercress, anchovies, garlic, chili flakes, good olive oil, a little butter, toasted breadcrumbs and shaved pecorino Romano. Video of the process below.
The Dough
Ingredients
200 g Semola Rimacinata Cuore flour (or similar)
200 g 00 Manitoba Flour (or similar)
1 tbsp dry White wine
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
*Served 4-5 people
Directions
Mix together the dry ingredients and form a mound in the center of your work surface. Use your fingertips to create a well in the center, like a volcano.
Whisk together the eggs and white wine, and pour into the center of the well.
Using a fork and bench knife, slowly begin working the flour into the eggs, working methodically, from the center outwards, gradually incorporating more flour as you go.
Once the dough becomes shaggy, you can now use your hands to begin working it together with more pressure. If it feels too dry, add a little room temperature water. And if it feels too wet, add a little flour. Knead/work the dough for about ten minutes, which will result in a nice smooth, elastic ball of dough. Cut the ball in half and wrap each ball in plastic wrap.
Rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough and divide into two. Wrap the portion that is on standby.
Gently dust your work surface and begin rolling out the dough with a rolling pin (mattarello). If you prefer to use a pasta roller for this, that will work also. Work methodically, going from the center outwards to the edges, creating a large round sheet (sfoglia). Sprinkle with more flour if the dough seems to be sticking to any surface. Roll it out to about 2mm thickness, flipping the pasta sheet over a few times to work from both sides. Allow the sfoglia to air dry for a few minutes.
Using a circular cookie cutter (or corzetti stamp), punch out as many circles as you can. Save the scraps for maltagliati. I like to use a diameter of about 2” wide for the corzetti. They’ll naturally shrink a little after you punch them out.
Whether you’re using a Italian made corzetti stamp, or a homemade version (like I did), gently press down with pressure onto each cut circle with the stamp. After a few you’ll start to get a sense of how hard you need to press down. You want the stamp design to really pop, so make sure you’re using enough pressure. A thing to note here is that you may want to throw some semolina down on the work surface to avoid the pasta sticking to the board. The combination of air drying in the previous step (for a few minutes) and the semolina helps to avoid sticking.
Transfer the pasta “coins” to a container and cover with a clean towel. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
The Pasta
Ingredients
Wintercress (large bunch)
Anchovies (smashed into paste)
3-4 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
Red chili flakes
Good olive oil
3-4 tbsp butter
Parmesan cheese
Breadcrumbs
Directions
Blanch wintercress in boiling water for about 1 minute. Transfer to an ice bath to cool immediately. Drain of all excess water. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
In a medium skillet, toast breadcrumbs in butter (or olive oil) until golden brown. Set aside.
Add a generous pour of olive oil to skillet and bring to low heat. Add the garlic, anchovy paste, and chili flakes and saute for a few minutes until soft and fragrant. Add about 2-3 tbsp of butter, the blanched wintercress and continue sauteing for another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Salt your pot of boiling water and cook the fresh pasta for about 4 minutes until cooked. Reserve about a cup of pasta water before fully draining.
Drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet with the greens and anchovies. Toss to coat all of the noodles. Add a little pasta water if needed.
Plate each portion and finish with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs and shaved pecorino or parmesan cheese.
Enjoy.
