Paul Legato

Pizzoccheri is a northern Italian dish of buckwheat noodles, potatoes, and greens, typically chard or cabbage. I found out about it as I had some chard on hand and was bored with my usual “blanch it and then fry in olive oil with garlic” recipe. I made some modifications to Mark Bittman’s version based on what I had available — no buckwheat or fontina, so I substituted fettuccine and mozzarella, to good effect. The result was pretty good, somewhat resembling an Italian version of rösti. Here’s my take on it:

Ingredients

Butter preparation:

• 1 stick butter (4 oz.)
• 6-8 dried sage leaves
• 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

Main dish:

• 1 bunch rainbow chard, leaves separated from stems
• 1 potato, sliced thinly, skin on
• Buckwheat pizzoccheri noodles – substitute fettuccine, broken in half
• 1½-2 cups fontina or mozzarella cheese, grated or thinly sliced
• 1½-2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Add the thin garlic slices and the sage leaves and let it just barely simmer (never boil) on a back burner the entire time. Be careful to avoid burning the garlic or sage.
2. Boil a large pot of salted water, as for regular pasta preparation. When the water is at a good rolling boil, add the chard stems and cover — they take longer to cook than anything else and so must be added early. Return the pot to a boil. After 5 minutes, add the potatoes, chard leaves, and the pasta.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Cook the pasta to al dente, around 10 minutes. Drain. (Some judgement and experience will be necessary to adjust the precise timings, depending on how thick your potato slices are — they can overcook and fall apart easily. Ideally, you want them to finish at the same time as the pasta.)
5. Oil a large baking bowl or dish with olive oil. Spread a third of the pasta and vegetable mixture. Cover with mozzarella, then Parmesan. Add salt and pepper. Repeat the layering 2 more times, leaving a layer of cheese on top.
6. Cover generously with breadcrumbs.
7. Pour the butter-garlic-sage mixture evenly over the breadcrumbs.
8. Bake 15 minutes, until the top begins to brown.

Yields 2-3 servings by itself; more if you have side dishes.

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