Corn Buckwheat Tortelli
It’s the middle of summer, which in the U.S. means that it is corn season.
Corn is used in some areas of regional Italian cooking, but I have yet to see a traditional corn filling in a pasta. But that’s okay - I think much of the spirit of Italian cooking comes down to seasonality, so I’m telling myself the most authentic thing I can do is honor the ingredients that are local to where I currently am, and that includes corn.
Corn is often paired with basil or chili - both delicious combinations. I have been on an alternative flour kick lately, though, so the first thing that came to mind was to play around with the pasta dough itself. I settled on buckwheat. I brought back some Italian buckwheat flour on my last trip and never used it, and I also knew that the nuttiness would play wonderfully with summer corn’s sweetness. I also settled on using bay leaf instead of basil in my filling.
In many ways, this dish is also inspired by the work of Missy Robbins, head chef and owner of two famous pasta-centric restaurants in New York City - Lilia and Misi. In particular, two dishes from Misi. A year-round staple at Misi are Robbins’ spinach and mascarpone tortelli. In her book, Robbins writes about the category of pasta encompassed under the umbrella of ‘tortelli’ and notes that she took some liberty in making a shape that is slightly different, and has become a signature of hers. I used that same method of shaping my tortelli here.
The other dish that contributed to my recipe is her seasonal sweet corn pasta. I took inspiration from her cooking method - gently cooking kernels in milk before blending and mixing in with the other filling components - when developing this recipe.
Ingredients
300g 00 flour
100g buckwheat flour
4 eggs
4 ears of corn (350g for the filling, the rest, roughly 100g reserved for the sauce)
360g milk (around 1.5 cups)
2 bay leaves
100g ricotta
80g butter
basil (optional for garnish)
salt and pepper
First, make the pasta dough. Combine both flours and pour them onto your work surface. Make a well in the flours and crack in the eggs. Beat the eggs, and then slowly start incorporating in the flour. Keep going until a shaggy dough forms, and then knead for roughly 10 minutes, until you develop a smooth and elastic dough. Wrap with plastic and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting, make the filling. Start by cleaning the ears of corn and removing the kernels from the cob. Add 350g to a saucepan with the milk and bay leaves, reserving the rest for later. Put the pan over low heat and cook the kernels gently, stirring frequently so they do not color or burn, until the kernels are soft. Strain the kernels and blend in a food processor, adding in a spoonful of the remaining milk if needed.
Remove the corn and place in a bowl to cool. Add the ricotta into the food processor, pulsing a few times to whip the ricotta into a creamier consistency. Fold the ricotta into the corn mixture, and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until you are ready to use.
Next, roll out the pasta dough, either by hand or using a pasta machine. I would suggest rolling to setting number 6 if using a Marcato Atlas machine. Cut your pasta into 2.5 inch squares, and pipe a dollop of filling into the center. Fold into a triangle, and then close each tortello by bringing the points of the triangle together, as shown above.
After shaping all the tortelli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large pan, melt the butter. Add in the remaining corn and saute gently until the corn is tender. Season to taste, and then remove from heat.
Once the pot of water is boiling and you add in the tortelli, return the pan with the corn to medium heat. Add in a ladle of starchy cooking water and stir to emulsify with the butter. When the tortelli are nearly ready, remove them from the water and finish cooking in the pan with the corn and butter. If the sauce is looking dry at this point, feel free to add more butter or pasta water as needed.
Serve with fresh basil leaves, if desired.
