Doughs:
Fillings:
Sauces:
What they are
The name comes from “scarpa,” the Italian word for shoe—it’s pronounced scar-pee-noch, by the way—and once you see it, it’s hard to get the image a yodeler’s clog out of your head (though a small boat and a banana also come to mind). That’s no coincidence either: This pasta hails from Parre, a small town in Lombardy that neighbors Switzerland, with plenty of snow and German-inspired food to go around. They’re traditionally filled with Grana Padano cheese (which is produced nearby), breadcrumbs, and spices, and the dough itself is made extra-tender with milk and butter—an homage to the region’s plentiful sheep and dairy.
How they’re traditionally served
With butter, which pools generously in the pasta’s dimpled bellies, and local cheeses.
MAKE THE DOUGH AND FILLING
Make your pasta dough and filling of choice. Let the dough rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes and let the filling chill as needed.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE
Line a sheet pan with semolina or a dishcloth. Gather your tools and set up your pasta machine.
SHEET AND CUT THE DOUGH
Roll a quarter of your pasta dough, stopping at setting 6 for both the Marcato and KitchenAid machines.
Lay the pasta sheet horizontally on your work surface (if you’re using a countertop, dust it with some 00 or all-purpose flour first). Use a 2½-inch (6-cm) round cookie cutter to cut out as many rounds from the pasta sheet as you can. Any scraps can be reused later if they’re still pliable or cut into pieces and saved for soup.
FILL THE PASTA
Spoon or pipe about 1 teaspoon filling in the center of a few rounds, leaving a generous border of dough around them. Cover the rest of the dough with a damp dishcloth or plastic wrap.
If the dough feels dry, add a small amount of water to half of the edges of the rounds.
MAKE THE SCARPINOCC
Fold each round into a half-moon, gently pressing out the air around the filling as you do so. Once the filling is encased, press the edges firmly once more to seal and thin out the dough.
Position a half-moon so its curve is facing downward. Tuck the seam to one side, creating a little fold, and prop the pasta upright on your work surface.
Use your index finger to make a dimple in the center of the filling—like poking the Pillsbury Doughboy—so it balloons outward and the pasta stands up on its own. Arrange the finished scarpinocc in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
COOK THE PASTA
Cook the scarpinocc until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
