Croxetti

Croxetti is a type of pasta consisting of flat medallion or coin-shaped pasta disks stamped by hand or machine with intricate patterns. Croxetti originated in Liguria, in Northern Italy along the border with France, during the middle ages. In the past they were made by local peasants and used by aristocratic families as a display of wealth and status. The family Coat of Arms was carved on one side and a sauce holding decorative symbol, usually cross (hence the name croxetti) was carved on the other. You roll out your pasta a little bit thicker than normal cut it with the disc and then press it between the two parts of the stamp. As you can see the stamp has the cutter built in. It's easy to make a few dozen for a family  meal but since I was making over 400 for a dinner for fifty I had to call in the peasants.

Chef Mimi

Chef Vivi

 


We had our croxetti stamp made for us with our Turtle "Coat of Arms" by Franco Casoni in Chiavera near Genoa. He also carves mermaids and figureheads for ships and wooden sculptures for churches and civic displays. http://www.francocasoni.it/  It is a pleasure to hold his little work of art in my hand while I am stamping out pasta discs.

 
We also have a croxetti stamp that we bought online (sorry, I have forgotten where) which has an ear of wheat on one side and a spiral on the reverse. The spiral reminds me of this camp Japanese horror flick translated as Spiral or Vortex. but it really holds the sauce which is the point of the design. My grand-daughters insisted it was not a ear of wheat but a Blue Bonnet cute - little Texan that they are.

  I did not tell them that the spiral reminded me of a Japanese horror flick.

Enjoy this short video of Pietro Picetti making croxeti stamps in Varese, Ligura, Italy
Recently we made chestnut flour croxetti in sugo d'anatrain (duck sauce) for Wedding Oak Winery in San Saba. The fifty diners I mentioned above sat down for four courses prepared by Chef Bubba Frank, Pastry Chef and owner, Mary Stanley and her peasants; and more importantly to taste the great wines made by this two year old Texas winery.

The barrel room at Wedding Oak Winery San Saba, Texas

We think they are on the road to success because they are focusing on grapes that are more appropriate for Texas climate. No cabernet or chardonnay there. Try my personal favorite,  Wedding Oak Bridal Veil, a crisp blend of trebbiano and vermentino.

Never heard of these grapes? Historical references to trebbiano were made by Pliny and Petrus de Crestenthiis in 1303 so it is an ancient ancient grape. Trebbiano was brought to California by Italian immigrants. So the key word here is Mediterranean, hot dry climate. Where is it hot and dry? Central Texas. Trebbiano is the second most widely planted grape in the world. It has good yields, but tends to make undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not age well so it needs to be blended with something that has more character.

For a white grape, Vermentino never seems to lose its character. It thrives in the heat on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. It has spread across southern France, where it is called Rolle; through Liguria, the Italian Riviera; Piedmont, which might be its origin; and Tuscany. It is beginning to thrive in the hot and dry climate of Texas. Vermentino contains the flavors and aromas of resin, herbs and something slightly evergreen. Ligurians adore it for their seafood and pesto (one of the reasons we made Ligurian croxetti to pair with this wine dinner). “Eh, chi non m’as postu frucchitta!” (Why? You didn’t give me the fork!)

Vermentino is delicious and reasonably priced and vermentino is easy for Texans to roll off the tongue. Its bright acidity and citrus flavors are perfect for summer alone or blended with the more abundantly available but less distinguished Trebbiano. So if you are near Brownwood or San Saba, Texas pick up a bottle of Bridal Veil at Wedding Oak Winery or try Vermentino by itself or in a blend instead of your usual chardonnay or pinot grigio.

Vermentino is commonly thought to be Spanish in origin. Although it is currently grown in several countries around the Mediterranean, its best known examples come from northern Italy (particularly in the region of Liguria) and the island of Sardinia, where the wines are crisp, citrusy and generally unoaked. It is also the most widely planted white grape on the island of Corsica, where high altitude and hot climate vineyards produce more full-bodied wines with heady floral aromas. On the French mainland (where the grape is known as Rolle), it is found in Côtes de Provence and, increasingly, in Languedoc. Although it makes excellent wine, for many years Vermentino was best known for producing table grapes. The grapes are large with a good sugar/acid balance, making them a perfect choice for sweet snacking. - See more at: http://www.tablascreek.com/vineyard_and_winemaking/grapes/vermentino#sthash.RhgLHSMz.dpuf