OCCITAN CAJETTES
ZINZINATED AND PROSPEROUS
INGREDIENTS
- 500 g of mixed yellow and red onions, finely chopped, browned in butter and salted
- 500 g raw grated mountain potatoes
- 3 small eggs
- 180 g of semi-wholemeal Zinzinata rye flour
- 180 g of semi-wholemeal Prosperosa flour
- well chopped aromatic herbs (parsley, rosemary, sage)
- 1 and a half tablespoons of fine salt
METHOD
Among the ancient recipes of the Upper Susa Valley there are also Cajettes or Cabiette , rustic and tasty gnocchi of Occitan memory, born, it is said, in Rochemolles , a hamlet of Bardonecchia , but today also prepared throughout the Val Chisone and in the nearby valley Fur.
They are prepared with rye flour and soft wheat flour, potatoes, onions, herbs. Compared to the usual gnocchi, the Cajettes are made with raw and grated mountain potatoes, consequently their cooking in the boiling broth will be longer (25/30 minutes).
The recipes that are handed down in the Susa Valley rarely give us precise indications on the quantity of flour to be used and moreover it is understandable, given that it depends on the type of flour used (milling, level of wholeness, gluten strength).
It was a more than ideal opportunity to try the stone -milled Segale Zinzinata Leggera from Mulino ValSusa.
In reality, we worked it not in pure form but mixed with the versatile soft wheat Prosperosa , a strong flour that made the dough softer and more elastic.
The result will be a very soft but not too sticky dough . On the well-floured pastry board we easily work the generously sized Cajettes.
For cooking, we preferred a good vegetable broth, but they tell us that originally in the upper valley they used mutton broth .
We read that in a more delicious version, after having cooked them in broth, it is possible to gratinate them in the oven with butter and mountain toma cheese or even sauté them with butter and sage and season them with plenty of parmesan...
Recipe by: PASTA TRAFFICANTI, Turin
