• 4 medium potatoes
  • 7/8 cup (300 gr) spinach
  • 1.5 cups (200 gr) Bitto or Fontina cheese
  • 3 cups (350 gr) pizzoccheri
  • 2 tablespoons (30 gr) butter
  • 6 fresh sage leaves
  • 4 tablespoon Parmigiano Reggiano
  • salt, pepper, nutmeg

Pizzoccheri (peet-zo-k-air-ee) represents a typical dish from Valtellina, an area in the north of Lombardy, near the Swiss border.

It is an excellent kind of Tagliatelle-shaped Pasta whose unique taste comes from whole buckwheat flour (80%), durum wheat semolina and water.

Typically, Pizzoccheri is cooked with butter and sage, Bitto or Fontina cheese, potatoes, cabbage or chard, but I prefer it with spinach.

It is one of my favorite pasta dishes and is also very easy to prepare.

Procedure:

– Dice the potatoes, coarsely chop the spinach, and put the vegetables in a large pot of salted water. Cook over moderate heat for about 15 minutes.

– Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, brown butter with sage, being careful not to burn the leaves. When the butter is melted and the sage crispy, set aside.

– Dice the Fontina cheese and when the vegetables begin to soften, add pasta to the same pot and continue to cook together for about 8 to 10 minutes.


– Drain pasta, potatoes and spinach with a slotted spoon (be careful not to let them dry too much) and put them in a bowl, creating a first layer.

– Sprinkle it with Fontina cheese, melted butter, sage, grated Parmesan cheese and a pinch of pepper and nutmeg and create a second layer on top, adding the cheese and remaining butter.

Serve still warm… and enjoy!