Warm up with a dish of Moro Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

Chiavenna, Province of Sondrio – Photo courtesy of Mark Swint

Traditional “Pizzoccheri” are from the Valtellina; the northernmost region of Lombardy, at the foothills of the Alps, where skiers know a thing or two about staying warm with comfort foods (and wonderful wines) during the winter months!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter

1 garlic clove sliced in half

3-4 fresh sage leaves

1+ ½ cups Pizzoccheri

¾ cup peeled and cubed potatoes

½ cup savoy cabbage sliced into wide strips (or cut spinach)

¾ cup slices of Bitto or Casera cheese (or substitute with Fontina)

1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the garlic and sauté briefly, then add the sage leaves. Reduce the heat and cook on a low flame until the garlic is light golden brown. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, salted to taste, boil the potatoes and the cabbage (or spinach) for 5 minutes. Then add the pizzoccheri and boil for another 12-15 minutes. Once the pizzoccheri are "al dente," drain the pasta, potato and cabbage mixture. Place a layer of this pizzoccheri mixture into a glass serving dish (oven-proof if it will go into the oven to stay warm) then layer some of both cheeses over it. Continue to layer until you've used all the cooked pasta mixture and all of the cheese. Reheat the melted sage butter briefly and pour over the pizzoccheri. Serve hot with fresh ground black pepper.

Serves 4

About the producer:

In 1868, it was Carlo Moro who gave life to the pasta factory on the river Mera, where the waters powered the grinding machines. The original location is now an industrial museum and their new, state-of-the-art factory, using 100 percent green energy, resides at the main gates of Chiavenna, 10 km from Switzerland, on the road towards St. Moritz. Today, Moro’s Pastificio di Chiavenna continues to produce pasta made from indigenous “Grano Saraceno” buckwheat flour.