Leek and Cabbage Ravioli from Trentino | Recipe

IRMA’ S KROPFEN

Prep: 1 hour 10 minutes  |  Servings: 6 

Irma’s family have an osteria, Albergo Rosa Alpina, in a hamlet called Palù del Fersina. It’s 20 kilometres and a world away from the city of Trento. Pine-clad slopes give way to tumbled fields stippled with ancient apple trees. And dotted about are small farms, where dairy herds are husbanded and cheeses are made (of course) – the farmers don’t bother to name their cheeses as their production is so small. Only sturdy vegetables grow here, such as potatoes, cabbages and leeks. So these ravioli are no surprise when you gaze down the valley over the village rooftops and survey this landscape. The surprise is that kropfen aren’t better known because they are hearty, savoury and just the thing after a day’s hiking.

Irma says only 10 people in the village make them. She is kropfen’s champion and is determined this recipe should not be forgotten. When I visited her, Irma had collected the 13 different cheeses she says are necessary to make the filling – this probably has something to do with to the 13 apostles, and using up all the bits and pieces of cheese which collect in the larder. Since Grana del Trentino, formaggio di malga, Vezzeina and Montasio are pretty tricky to find outside the region, I suggest you gather your own collection of aged cheeses and make kropfen as soon as there’s a frost outside.

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

• 1/3 head of savoy cabbage,
• tough stems removed
• 1/3 head of white cabbage,
• tough stems removed
• 1 leek, trimmed and washed
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil 200g various mature cheeses such 24-month parmigiano reggiano, pecorino or mature cheddar – anything with zing and bite
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• pinch of salt

FOR THE DOUGH

• 100g (2/3 cup) rye flour
• (or wholemeal if rye is difficult to find)
• 300g (2½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• a pinch of salt
• about 200ml (scant 1 cup) warm water

TO SERVE

• 75g unsalted butter 6 sage leaves

Method

First, make the filling. Chiffonade the cabbage leaves (i.e. slice them as thinly as possible) and cook the two batches of leaves in simmering salted water until just  tender (how long this takes will depend on the cabbages you have bought, which in any case will have different rates of cooking,  so it’s better to cook them separately so you  can judge ‘doneness’ better; it could take 3-10 minutes). Drain through a sieve and continue to press the cabbage against the mesh to make sure as much moisture is removed as possible. You should end up with about 200g each of green and white cabbage. Retain a cupful of the cooking water.

Chiffonade the leek, then soften it in a little butter or oil in a sauté pan. This will take a good 7-10 minutes over a low heat, adding a little cabbage cooking water if needed to stop it from colouring. You’ll end up with about 100g of cooked leek. Leave it to cool while you grate your cheeses. Now mix them with the cabbage, leek and the breadcrumbs in a bowl. The cheese is salty, but the filling needs to be well seasoned: taste and season with a little salt.

Now, make the pasta dough. If you are using wholemeal flour, sift it first to remove any flakes of bran. Mix the two flours together with the salt in a bowl or your board, then gradually pour in the tepid water, mixing it in with a spoon or your fingers; you may not need all of it. You want a dough that is not sticky to the touch. Knead it for 10 minutes until smooth (it might take a bit longer if you’re not used to this dough). Place it in a lidded bowl and leave it for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half so you don’t work it all at once and dry it out. Roll out one half to a thickness of 3mm using a rolling pin. Cut it into strips 10cm wide, then place 30g pieces of filling (a large walnut size) at 10-cm intervals along the strip. Take one long side of the pasta and pull it over the filling to meet the other long side. Pat down between the bumps, trying to get out as much air as possible. Take a ravioli cutter and cut between the filling to create pillow-shaped ravioli. Repeat this process until you have used up all your pasta dough.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a gentle simmer and add a tablespoon of salt. Allow the water to return to a gentle bubble, then lower the kropfen into the water (you may need to do this in batches). Cook for about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and place them on a platter, keeping them warm in the oven if necessary (if you’re cooking them in batches). While the kropfen simmer, melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat and gently sauté the sage leaves for about 4 minutes until they are fragrant. Dress the kropfen with the sage butter and serve immediately.