Casoncelli: the typical Bergamo recipe

I casoncelli (Casonseiin the Lombard dialect) are a traditional entrance both from the city of Bergamo both Bresciaalthough different in the filling, always present in the menus of the taverns of Eastern Lombardy.
We offer you the casoncelli in Bergamo: a stuffed pastamade with a fresh egg batter from the typical crescent shaped and stuffed with minced meat, salami paste, crumbled amaretti, breadcrumbs, parmesan, raisins and spices.

Once ready, they are boiled for a few minutes and seasoned with a sauce cream based on butter, parmesan and, if you like, sage, and enriched with the crunchy and tasty note of pancetta.

Their preparation is therefore very simple, but it is important to have the time available.

The secrets to having perfect casoncelli, however, are two: using quality ingredients and sealing the filling well inside the dough.

As always with traditional recipes, each region and even each family has its own version: from the shape, which ranges from candy to the triangle, to the filling which nevertheless retains some common characteristics, such as the presence of meat, parmesan and aromatic herbs. Even the seasoning can vary: indeed, they are excellent accompanied by a classic stew or with a fresh cherry tomato sauce.

Discover all the detailed steps and tips for making them, and if you like fresh filled pasta starters, try it. ricotta and spinach ravioli eh pumpkin tortelli.

The recipe for casoncelli in Bergamo

To prepare the casoncelli with bergamo, first prepare the fresh stuffed pasta, which is given the shape of a crescent, then the sauce, based on butter and bacon bits, which will give a crunchy note to the dish. Finally, we finish with a sprinkle of parmesan for an even richer flavor.

How to make egg pasta

To prepare the casoncelli with bergamo, start preparing the dough for the fresh pasta. Collect the flour in a bowl, mix the eggs and start mixing the ingredients with the help of a fork (1).

Transfer the mixture to a work surface and continue to knead for a long time with your hands 2, until a homogeneous and soft dough is obtained. Cover the dough, wrap it in cling film and let it rest for ten minutes.

How to fill

Meanwhile, devote yourself to preparing the filling. In a bowl, mix the meat with the salami paste 3.

Then add the Amaretti Cookies chopped, grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, nutmeg, salt and raisins, lightly soaked in water and well pressed (4). Stir and keep the garnish aside.

Take the dough, divide it into 4 parts and roll each one out with a rolling pin (or alternatively a rolling pin), until you get a fairly thin sheet 5.

Arrange many heaps of filling on the dough 6.

Fold the dough on itself and cut it to form half moons seven.

Join the edges by exerting light pressure to give them the shape of a crescent: make sure to seal them well, to prevent the filling from coming out 8. The casoncelli in Bergamo are ready. After letting them rest for about 25 minutes, while the filling stabilizes, all you have to do is cook and season them.

How to dress the casoncelli in Bergamo

To season the casoncelli, melt the butter in a pan, add the bacon 9 and bake until lightly crispy. If desired, you can add 3-4 sage leaves to the butter and bacon dressing.

While the sauce is cooking, boil the casoncelli in abundant salted boiling water for a few minutes: they will be ready when they rise to the surface. Drain them and brown them in a pan with the sauce, sprinkling them with parmesan cheese. ten. The Bergamo style casoncelli are ready to be served, served and tasted very hot.

Which wine to accompany with casoncelli in Bergamo?

Bergamo casoncelli are a dish with a rich and full-bodied taste. Therefore, they are ideal to combine with a tannic red wine, rustic and structured, able to accompany the dish and balance its flavor. Of the many with these characteristics, we recommend the Doc Monferrato from Grillano Castle or even theAglianico from Casa di Baal.

Curiosity: why are they called “casoncelli”?

According to tradition, casoncelli take their name from the word cheese, “cheese”, one of the essential ingredients inside the filling of this fresh pasta. Probably, however, their name could also refer to the particular “short” or “horseshoe” shape, typical of the oldest variants of the recipe.

Originally, on the other hand, the casoncelli were a dish of the peasant tradition and, therefore, were stuffed with a simple filling, made with breadcrumbs, leftover cheese and other recovered ingredients, to then be seasoned with a quick sauce of butter and sage.

Tips

If you prefer, you can also cut rectangles of fresh pasta and close the casoncelli “like candies”, pinching the ends. To make the filling more compact, you can also add an egg.

To speed up the preparation, you can also buy ready-made macaroons. For an even more authentic flavor, however, you can make them at home by following our recipe.

Variations and difference between the casoncelli of Brescia and Bergamo

Like all traditional dishes, casoncelli are made in many form e different versions: the filling, rich and slightly sweet and sour, can be enriched with to offer seared and finely chopped, with a little mustard instead of raisins, but also with other ingredients, such as lemon peel andGarlic.

However, they are mainly two are the best known variants. In addition to those in Bergamo, in fact, there are also small houses in Brescia. While the former are crescent shaped, the latter can also be candy, butterfly, square or triangle shaped. The latter therefore vary in the filling, since they do not include the addition of amaretti, raisins and salami paste.

Finally, the casoncelli are also widespread in Val Camonica: here, however, the filling varies considerably and may contain potatoes, cheese, cotechino or herbs.

storage

The casoncelli are preserved in the refrigeratorsealed in a special airtight container, for maximum 2 days. Raw, they can also be frozen in special bags: just place them on a tray and put them in the freezer for 1 hour, then transfer them to the special food bags and put them back in the freezer until ready to eat. use them. To cook them, plunge them directly from frozen into boiling salted water.