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Culurgiones
Culurgiones: Ogliastra's wheat-ear dumplings with potato, pecorino and mint
ItalianCulurgiones come from Ogliastra, on Sardinia's rugged eastern coast, where women seal each dumpling with a row of tiny pinches that look like an ear of wheat. Inside is a soft, warm filling of potato, aged pecorino, garlic and fresh mint. In villages such as Ulassai and Lanusei they are made for the end of the harvest and for 2 November, All Souls' Day, as a token of good luck and protection. Some families work a little lard into the dough; here it is olive oil. Chef's tip: chill the filling; firm, cold filling is far easier to pleat and won't tear the thin dough.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
For the dough
For the sauce
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Boil 1 ⅓ lb starchy potatoes in their skins for 25–30 minutes, until a knife slides through easily. Drain and peel while hot.
28 minStep 2: Mash the potatoes until completely smooth and mix in 3 ½ oz pecorino sardo, 1 clove garlic, 15 mint leaves, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and ½ tsp salt. It should be a firm, pliable paste. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Meanwhile mix 9 oz semola rimacinata (fine durum wheat semolina), 3 ½ oz 00 flour and 1 pinch salt, add ¾ cup warm water and 1 tbsp olive oil and knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, firm, elastic dough. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Roll the filling into walnut-sized balls of about 20 g and set them on a tray.
Step 5: Roll a quarter of the dough very thinly, about 1 mm, with a pasta machine or rolling pin. Keep the rest wrapped. Cut out 8 cm rounds with a cutter.
Step 6: Hold a round in the palm of one hand and set a ball of filling in the middle. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling and pinch it to the dough at the base.
Step 7: Now pinch the right side over to the centre, then the left side over the right, alternating as you work up towards the top, so the seam forms a braided ridge like an ear of wheat. Pinch the tip firmly shut. Common mistake: trapping air or leaving gaps in the pleats; water gets in and the culurgiones burst in the pot. Keep each pinch tight and close.
Step 8: Set each one on a floured tray and repeat with the rest of the dough and filling. You should have about 35–40.
40 minStep 9: For the sauce, warm 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 1 clove garlic in a pan over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 cups tomato passata, 6 basil leaves and ½ tsp salt and simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Take out the garlic.
16 minStep 10: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with 1 tbsp coarse salt. Lower the culurgiones in, in two batches, and cook at a gentle boil for 4–5 minutes after they float, until the pleated edge is tender.
6 minStep 11: Lift out with a slotted spoon, spoon over the tomato sauce and finish with 1 oz pecorino sardo.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 86 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does culurgiones take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of starchy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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