Corzetti

Small figure eights are associated with Val Polcevera, stamped disks with the Levante. In the stamped version, a wooden tool leaves a raised design on the pasta: decoration becomes part of the making process. Look at the uncooked shape before choosing a sauce. Comparing a disk with a small figure eight gives you a clear reason to ask which tradition the pasta maker is following.

For one stamped version, make a dough of flour, egg yolks and water, roll it into a sheet and cut small circles. Impress the disks with engraved wooden forms. Corzetti can also be made without eggs. Follow a recipe written for your mold and dough rather than assuming that every corzetto is made the same way.

Try corzetti with pesto or with butter, pine nuts and marjoram. Choose the latter to explore the shape beyond pesto.

Ask whether you are buying Val Polcevera-style figure eights or Levante-style stamped disks. Doughs can be made with or without eggs. Read the actual ingredients and buy a portion whose decoration you can inspect. A local name alone does not tell you the dough in that particular packet.

Retain the producer’s instructions for the pasta you buy and ask whether it is sold fresh or dried. Keep those instructions with the remaining portion instead of using a storage rule based only on the shape’s name.