Ode to Stuffed Pasta: the Sardinian Culurgiones

From our Italian Lunch Box series, and for all the #PastaLovers out there, here’s an Ode to stuffed pasta: the Sardinian Culurgiones.

Stuffed pasta is like the mother, and the stuffing recalls the swollen belly of life, welcoming of something important.

It also represents Sunday mornings, when mum would roll out the dough and let us play with her “nonna papera” (granny duck) – a friendly way to call the pasta sheets maker – or use her rolling pin to create improbable ravioli full of goodwill and love.  

Also, the look didn’t matter in the slightest, and certainly there wasn’t the ‘post on Instagram’ anxiety 🫣 Happy time indeed!

Welcome to our plant-based recipes collection – the fruit (and veggies) of the collaboration between ottimoblog.com and appetibilis.net | Here happily edited and translated by Orsola 😀

On Stuffed Pasta: Homemade / Handmade

Stuffed pasta: homemade / handmade represents festive days. The Italian holidays, or when special guests are coming for lunch, and the family has to make their signature dishes…

The Italian Lunch Box | Typically Sardinia [banner]

Take the Sardinian culurgiones [ku-lur-jò-næs], for example. A typical ravioli – traditionally filled with potatoes, pecorino cheese and mint – from the Ogliastra [o-lyeà-stra] region, (Central-Eastern side of Sardinia).

Pockets of pasta sealed “a spiga” (the braided dumpling fold) – the Chinese dumplings repertoire has an identical version (fillings wary). It takes a bit of practice to properly fold (trust me) but, sooner or later, you’ll manage it!

One might wonder who introduced this practice of sealing ravioli this way… I would think of China – but you can’t say it in Italy 😉 Yet it doesn’t matter, does it? What matters is that we can enjoy the wonderful food that comes out when different cultures meet.

Culurgiones are like chrysalises ready to turn into butterflies. What could be more maternal than that? Here’s the recipe…

The Sardinian Culurgiones from Ogliastra Recipe

The dough for culurgiones is inherently vegan, being made of water and flour only. While the traditional filling is vegetarian, but can be easily veganized:

potatoes are already delicious on their own,
instead of pecorino, we use our plant-based cheese for its special punch (here’s the recipe for the Ottimo! grattugiato) [òt-ti-moh grat-tù-ja-toh], and
some lemon (or lime) zest for a refreshing touch.
About the mint, I’m not a fan of it, so it isn’t in the recipe.

Ode to Stuffed Pasta: the Sardinian Culurgiones from Ogliastra on pesto sauce - Recipe card

[servings: 6 | total time: 1 h 45 min. (including 1 h rest) | difficulty: medium-high]
| Please note that the info and directions provided for the recipe are indicative: the end result may vary from person to person |

Ingredients

The dough

250 g remilled durum wheat semolina
115 g lukewarm water
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp oil (*)

The filling

250 g boiled potatoes
1 lime – zest (grated) and juice
35 g plant-based grated cheese (did you check our Ottimo! Grattugiato?)
soy cream to taste (3 tbsp to start with)
oil (*) to taste (2 tbsp should do)
Fine sea salt to taste

The sauce: “sughetto di pomodoro fresco”

150 g passata or pelati (peeled tomatoes)
2 tbsp oil (*)
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

About the oil (*) – Unless otherwise specified, we use organic and cold-pressed evo oil, or sunflower seed oil (the high-oleic type for frying).

Italian Lunch Box | Ode to Stuffed Pasta: the Sardinian Culurgiones from Ogliastra: simple and colored version

Directions

The dough – Place the semolina in a bowl, form a crater in the middle and add the salt and oil.
Gradually incorporate the water and knead until you got an elastic, fairly firm, smooth dough.
Make a ball, wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
While the dough is resting let’s make the filling and the sauce.
The filling – Mash the boiled potatoes with a potato masher (or fork) until soft and fairly smooth – Lumps make it difficult to fold the dumpling.
Start stirring the mashed potatoes (a whisk should do) to combine the soy cream, the zest and juice of the lime, and the oil.
Season by adding the cheese, and a generous dash of salt. Mix gently, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Wrap with clingfilm and place it in the fridge to rest, while you prep the sauce.
To make the sauce “sughetto di pomodoro fresco” [su-gét-toh dee po-mo-dò-roh sé-mpli-tchæ] – it’s our basic tomato sauce. Start by heating the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan (over a medium heat).
When the garlic turns golden-brown (watch-out for burning signs please) remove it, add the passata, cover and let it simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring often. Taste, season and set aside.
Back to dough – Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (or pasta maker) until you got a thin sheet, not too thin thought (about 2 mm). Remember to lightly flour the surface you working on.
With a pastry cutter (around 8 cm), cut out disks. Place a generous teaspoon (a knob) of filling in the centre of the disc and proceed with the folding.
- Pinch and fold… here’s a video that clearly shows you how to perform the folding and closing of the culurgiones 🤓
Place the finished culurgiones on a well floured tray, while you – patiently – work the rest.
Time to cook. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and, working in batches, cook the culurgiones for about 5 minutes. Enough time to get the right al dente consistency.
Meanwhile, warm through the sauce.
Drain the culurgiones and place them on a warm serving plate, over a bed of sughetto.
Sprinkle some cheese and serve immediately: Buon Appetibilis!

Italian Lunch Box | Ode to Stuffed Pasta: the Sardinian Culurgiones from Ogliastra: photo session backstage pics collage

Notes and Variations

Although the filling may vary coast to coast (Sardinia is a big island you know), I can assure you that my vegan culurgiones are consistently – through time – a huge success!
The dose of water for the dough may vary depending on the type of flour you’ll be using.
Don’t worry if you place too much filling on the disk, it’ll come out while folding the dumpling… Check the video linked above (directions step 12).
The filling seasoning may include some freshly ground black pepper.
While making the culurgiones – keep the remaining pasta dough wrapped up (or under a tea towel) otherwise it will dry out, making very difficult to fold.
Cooking time vary depending on the thickness of the dough/disk. Between 3 minutes from when they start floating, or 5 minutes total should be enough. In case, is up to you.
About the sauce. Besides “sughetto di pomodoro semplice” garnished with basil leaves, there is always the simpler and fast “in bianco” dressing – made by stir-frying some sage leaves in oil – or a pesto and chives (as in the recipe card pic)… 🤤