Pizzoccheri - Buckwheat pasta with vegetables

Our South-Italian/German family often eats traditionalNorth-Italian dishes like pizzoccheri. Well, it is not the original receipt which requires cheese and cabbage instead of Swiss chard. But I think the poors of the Valtellina valley surely used any vegetable available ignoring the traditions like me.

During the last holidays I've begun to prepare home-made pizzoccheri, and I am very satisfied with the result. It is easy to make and tastes as good as the ones that are bought at the supermarket.

The colour of the pizzoccheri depends on how much hull remains after the milling, so the taste of the pasta may change by using different brands of buckwheat flour.

I always cook for 4 servings adding a large quantity of vegetables. The remains will be used the next lunchtime, heating it in the oven.

 

First, I prepare the  pizzoccheri pasta:

300 gr. buckwheat flour
50 gr. whole wheat flour
water, the quantity depends of the flour but it will be more than 200 ml.
olive-oil, Durum Wheat Semolina

Mix the flours together on a cutting board or a flat work surface, then knead with the water.

Work the dough with your hands for at least 5 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and velvety to the touch.
Place the dough in a olive-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate and place it in the fridge for 1 hour.


Divide the dough in 3 parts and roll each part on a Durum Wheat Semolina dusted surface into thin sheets. Then, cut the sheet in stripes, large 7 - 8 centimetres and cut each stripe in  0,5 cm large pasta stripes.
Place the ready pasta stripes on a semolina-dusted napkin end cover them with another napkin.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, then and add salt as you do for other pasta.

Add the pizzoccheri e cook them for 5 - 10 minutes. Check sometimes to make sure it is "al dente".
Drain the pasta. 

The quantity of vegetables depends on what offers the fridge:

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 kilo of Swiss chard, cut in pieces large 1 - 2  centimetres
1 onion, finely chopped    
300 gr of carrots, peeled and chopped
olive-oil
salt, pepper, dried garlic
 

Heat an abundant quantity of oil in a large pan, add the carrots, the onion and the potatoes. Cook them for some minutes. Add then the Swiss chard and the garlic.

Continue to cook the vegetables on a low temperature.
After 20 minutes the vegetables will be "al dente".
Season  with salt and pepper.
Mix the  vegetables with the pizzoccheri and if you are not vegan, add a some pieces of feta-cheese.
Let them brown for some minutes under the grill before serving.