Storzapretis with fennel nage and marigold dust

Strozzapreti is a type of hand-rolled pasta that originated in Italy's Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, and Umbria regions. The name translates to "priest stranglers" or "priest chokers." The origin of the name is uncertain, but there are several stories. One story is about a priest who choked on his pasta after returning home from a hunt. Another story is about farmers' wives who prepared pasta for the local priest as payment, which angered their husbands. These really simple pasta highlight rustic cooking at its best. They are usually served with thick sauces because they gather the sauce well.

Here is a variation from Corsica. This version is more dumpling-shaped than pasta and is filled with ricotta and spinach that add flavour and texture. The pasta is soft and melts in your mouth, leaving a lovely mint flavour. The nage broth is light and scented with fennel, adding to the light flavour profile of the dish. The marigold dust is beautiful, adding a touch of grandeur to the plate. This is a light dish filled with delicate flavours. I like serving it as an opening dish for a curated menu to start the palate.

I do not have too many French cookbooks on my shelf. I have a couple from Pepin and this fantastic cookbook from Dorie Greenspan. It is packed full of classic French dishes and quite a few dishes from the old French colonial states. The recipes are always fantastic, and this is my go-to cookbook for French cuisine.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

When I looked through my cookbook library for recipes, I saw that James Walt had one in his restaurant cookbook. I immediately knew this was the one I wanted to make. This is one of my favourite cookbooks; cooking from here always makes me happy! The recipes can occasionally be complex, but most are simple, like this one. Every recipe from this cookbook is spectacular. The Araxi farm-to-table restaurant in Whistler is so on my bucket list.

For more amazing recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the storzapretis:

10 oz. spinach

1 large egg, whisked

5 oz. cheese such as ricotta

1 tablespoon mint or 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour + to dust

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

For the fennel nage:

8 cloves garlic, roughly sliced

8 shallots, roughly sliced

5 carrots, roughly sliced

4 celery stalks, roughly sliced

2 onions, roughly sliced

1 fennel bulb, roughly sliced

1 star anise

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

8 1/2 cups water

1 cup white wine

Salt to taste

8 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Marigold dust (optional)

Strip the leaves off the stems and wash well. Cook the spinach in a frying pan until wilted but still bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook it, as it will turn dull grey. Transfer the cooked spinach to a fine-mesh sieve and drain.

Press the spinach well to remove as much water and liquid as possible when it is cool. You want it to be really dry. Remove the lump to a cutting board and mince it finely.

Add the spinach to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Use your hands to break up the spinach lump and distribute it evenly. The batter will be soft and wet, but that is okay.

Add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to the countertop. Toss a tablespoon of the wet batter between your hands to form a roughly oval bullet-shaped dumpling. Toss the dumpling into the flour and roll lightly. Toss the dumpling between your hands again to get rid of excess flour. Set on a lined baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the batter; you should have 20-25 dumplings. Cover with cling wrap and put the dumplings in the fridge for 3 hours to firm up.

Meanwhile, make the nage: Add all the ingredients to a pot and bring the soup to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the vegetables through a fine-mesh sieve, keeping the stock. Taste the stock for salt and the pronounced flavour of fennel. It should be a delicate broth with elegance and the flash of fennel. Set aside.

To serve, heat the nage and keep warm.

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Gently add the dumplings, about 7-8 in a batch. Do not overcrowd the pot; the dumplings need a place to float around. They will sink to the bottom but float up in 2 minutes. Cook in simmering water for 5 minutes per batch. Remove with a slotted spatula and keep warm in the nage. Repeat with the rest of the dumplings.

Serve a ladle of the soup with 1-2 dumplings. Sprinkle marigold dust over the entire bowl.