Your ultimate guide to Italy's fresh stuffed pasta
Part 3 | Rounding off northern Italy with a trip to Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Welcome back for part three of Your ultimate guide to Italy's fresh stuffed pasta, a space dedicated to discovering the vast repertoire of traditional regional fresh stuffed pasta shapes. This month we’re delving deeper into Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, three regions that boast unique stuffed pasta preparations.
Before we get into the details, let me remind you of a few basics notions. First of all: what is stuffed fresh pasta? My ultimate guide refers to all those pasta shapes that are filled, whether that be with meat, cheese, vegetables, spices or fish. It also refers to fresh stuffed pasta, so anything that hasn’t been left to dry out - or industrially manufactured - and subsequently stuffed (such as cannelloni ripieni). The greatest source of inspiration for this ultimate guide was Oretta Zanini de Vita’s Encyclopedia of Pasta - a masterpiece I recommend owning.
It is important to note that some of the pasta shapes I’ve listed traditionally exist in more than one area. Italy’s regional borders were only defined with the country’s unification, in 1861, and many gastronomic customs and recipes precede that date.
Veneto
Veneto spans from Italy’s largest pianura to the high peaks of the Dolomites and Venice’s serene lagoon, making it an incredible region in terms of biodiversity of landscape, traditions and - obviously - gastronomy.
Casunziei
Perhaps the region’s most well-known fresh stuffed pasta, that originates from the mountains, specifically in the area of Cortina d’Ampezzo. They can however also be found across the border in Lombardy, in the area surrounding Bergamo, where they are known as casunsei. A half-moon shape holds an entirely vegetarian fillings of beetroot and smoked ricotta. Poppy seeds are often used to serve the pasta alongside brown butter.
Ravioli di Pesce
Moving from the Dolomites to Veneto’s lagoon, it is common to find fish-based ravioli which are made with the abundance of pesce azzurro sourced from the waters.
Turtres Ladine
A unique variety of fresh stuffed pasta made with a rye flour dough and stuffed with sauerkraut, juniper berries and cumin. Rather than being boiled, the turtes ladine are deep fried in oil. As the name suggests, the pasta originates in the Ladin communities that inhabited Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige, and the recipe can in fact be found in both regions. They are considered an ode to the mountain’s flavours, as they gather all the local flavours and ingredients.
Tortellini del Nodo d’Amore
Tiny, delicious explosions of flavour and umami-ness that originate from the town of Valeggio sul Mincio. We’ve spoken at great lengths of this special pasta and its unique story on The Cabinet of Curiosities, so check it out there!
Trentino-Alto Adige
Unlike it’s neighbour Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige is almost entirely covered by mountains—that soar up to almost 4000m. The region’s cuisine heavily reflects the landscape, making ingredients and recipes often similar to each other and significantly reliant upon mountain herbs, cheese and cabbage.
Schultzkrapfen
One of my favorite stuffed pasta shapes to make for their simplicity and incredible taste. The dough is made with a mix of rye flour and plain flour, and the filling has spinach, ricotta, herbs, chives and nutmeg. Another name for the pasta is Ravioli della Pusteria in homage of their place of origin, Val Pusteria. They can nonetheless be found throughout the whole of South Tyrol.
Rufioi della Valle dei Mocheni
Cabbage reigns in this lesser-known stuffed pasta from the Valle dei Mocheni, not far from the city of Trento. Alongside the cabbage, which sources state tastes incredible, the pasta is filled with leeks, a dash of cinnamon and grated cheese. Heaps of molten butter - obviously - dress the cooked pasta.
Turteln di Val Pusteria
Unlike the vegetable-based stuffed pasta found in the rest of the region, the turteln are filled with speck, cabbage and bay leaves. Another unique characteristic is that the pasta is deep fried before being served, piping hot.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
One of the most incredible and undiscovered regions in Italy whose cuisine is a blend of its history, local specialties and bordering countries. The vast majority of traditional stuffed pasta shapes are shared with Istrian and Slovenian recipes, differing slightly in ingredients and spelling.
Cjarsons
Originating from Carnia, a sub-region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia that borders with Austria, Cjarsons are unique for the contrast of sweet and savoury flavours that join in perfect unison. As is the case with most recipes that originate from people’s homes, there isn’t one single recipe, but hundreds of variations. Each family has its own way of shaping and filling the pasta, which can vary from including raisins, chocolate and cinnamon to spinach, ricotta, jam, rum, biscuits or milk. The most important element that is always present is the sweet-savoury contrast.
Ofelle
Trieste is an incredible melting pot of gastronomic cultures that have come together throughout centuries of influences from neighbouring countries and peoples that inhabited the area. As a result, its traditional cuisine has an array of flavours and ingredients that are not commonly used anywhere else in Italy. Ofelle are an example of Trieste’s unique cuisine, as the dough is made with a mix of flour and potatoes. Rather than being then shaped like gnocchi, the pasta is rolled out and filled - as is the case with all ravioli - but results slightly thicker: a gnocchi-ravioli hybrid! The filling is made by combining fresh sausage, ground veal and wilted spinach leaves.
Slicofi
A great portion of Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s food is blended with traditional recipes from Slovenia, as is the case with Slicofi. Across the border, the fresh stuffed pasta is known as žlikrofi, yet the shape is exactly the same. Potatoes, onions, chives, cheese, lard and prosciutto cotto are combined to make the filling, which is wrapped in pasta and shaped like scarpinocc, the shoe-shaped pasta previously discussed in the issue dedicated to Lombardia.
Gnocchi di Susine
Although gnocchi are not included in this project, these unique ones truly deserve a special mention. The fresh pasta is a mix between gnocchi and stuffed pasta, as the dough is made with potatoes. As the name hints, the pasta is filled with a whole, pitted, prune. The uniqueness of this traditional dish is in its flavour, which is a blend of sweet - given by the presence of cinnamon in the dough - and savoury - from the presence of cheese. Once boiled, the gnocchi are served with brown butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a generous dose of cheese.