Casunzei are the true typical dish of Cortina: beetroot-based vegetable filling and abundant Malga butter. They are eaten almost everywhere, from shelters to large hotels. Here is a five-star luxury recipe
THE casunzièi they are typical ravioli of the Dolomites and one of the best known dishes of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The word "casoncelli" derives from "casereccio" and this recipe made with the few ingredients that were available at the time is in fact widespread in different variations from Lombardy to Veneto. In Cortina, in the mountains, they are made with fresh egg pasta, very thin, and are filled with red beets, served with melted butter, plenty of melted butter, parmesan and poppy seeds. There are those who love them seasoned with smoked ricotta, those who add ricotta to the filling. The more traditionalists add the yellow turnips, Now rare, which are the secret ingredient in many restaurants. Those in the photo are from Cristallo, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, the only five-star luxury in the Dolomites, cooked by the chef Marco Pinelli at the restaurant The Veranda del Cristallo, expression of classic Italian cuisine, or in winter a The Stube 1872, for the recipes of the best Ampezzo tradition.
Ingredients for 4 people
250 g of boiled potatoes or yellow turnips
500 g of raw red beets
300 g of flour 00
3 fresh eggs
alpine butter
poppy seeds
Method
Cook the red beets in a little water, just enough to cover them, or steam them so they don't absorb any more water. When the fork goes deep they are ready, you can drain, peel and mash. Then put them to drain on a dish drainer, so that they release all the water for at least an hour or better for the whole night. Add the boiled, mashed potato to the dough. Leave to cool perfectly. Season with salt and pepper and, if needed, add a tablespoon of starch or breadcrumbs.
Make the fresh pasta with flour, eggs and warm water and roll it thinly. With a glass or a mold, cut out circles of about 8 cm in diameter and place a spoon full of dough in the center. Fold the circles in half and join the edges of the dough with your fingers and crush with the tines of a fork, letting the air out around the dough.
Cook the ravioli in salted water for 2 or 3 minutes from when they come to the surface. Drain and dress them directly on the plates with grated Parmesan cheese, melted alpine butter and then a sprinkling of poppy seeds.
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