How to Make Northern Italian Pizzocheri

Pizzoccheri is a traditional northern Italian pasta made with a combination of buckwheat flour and white flour, and formed into short, flat ribbons reminiscent of tagliatelle. The name pizzoccheri can also refer to the typical way of preparing these noodles: a hearty pasta dish consisting of potatoes, cabbage, Italian cheeses, and garlic fried in a generous amount of butter. Also known as pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese or pizzoccheri della Valtellina, this rustic recipe features ingredients commonly grown in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, including savoy cabbage and Valtellina Casera DOP and Grana Padano cheeses.

This rich, filling Italian comfort food hails from the mountainous Valtellina valley, which lays in the shadow of the Alps. The pizzoccheri noodles consist of about eighty percent buckwheat, a staple crop in the region for centuries. Pizzocheri pasta is served with filling, cold-hardy ingredients perfect for feeding local residents throughout a long Alpine winter.

The first written mention of pizzoccheri occurs in 1550, in Ortensio Lando’s Catalog of Inventories of Things That May Be Eaten in Italy. Although for many years this storied dish had a reputation as a peasant food, today it’s used to fuel hungry skiers after a long day on the slopes.

Here’s everything you need to make pizzoccheri like a northern Italian nonna.

1. 1. Flour: Traditionally, pizzoccheri is made with a four-to-one ratio of buckwheat flour to 00 flour (finely ground wheat flour that is similar to all-purpose flour). The only other ingredient is water. You may also find fresh or dried pizzoccheri at an Italian specialty market—you’re not likely to come across this unique pasta at your local grocery store.
2. 2. Cheese: This recipe traditionally calls for the local Valtellina Casera cheese. If you’re unable to find this unique product, feel free to experiment with other bold, melty cheeses like Gouda, Gruyère, Emmental, and fontina cheese. Or, swap the Grana Padano for Parmigiano Reggiano for a similar flavor.
   
3. 3. Vegetables: While potatoes and savoy cabbage are most commonly served with Pizzocheri, this recipe can easily be adapted to include other forms of produce, from a variety of potatoes, to hearty greens like spinach, kale, and Swiss chard, to chunks of winter squash.
4. 4. Garlic and butter: To finish the dish, bathe the pasta and vegetables in brown butter and golden fried garlic slices.