Croxetti Con Sugo Blanco

You may have noticed that I haven't blogged much. I haven't given it up, but I've been focusing on find myself, culinarily speaking. I've spent a lot of time learning about regional Italian cooking and, in particular, researching the cuisine from the area where my great-grandmother, Gram, is from. I've got family from all over Italy, but I was close to Gram and when I think of comfort food, it's her cooking that comes to mind. Gram came from Grondola, which is a village within the commune of Pontremoli. It lies in the northeast corner of Tuscany (land of the peasant bean-eaters), near the borders of Liguria (where pesto hails from) and Emilia-Romagna (a gastronomic nirvana). Additionally, Pontremoli is where many trade routes over the Appenine mountains converged and it lies on the Via Francigena, an important pilgrimage route in medieval times. The cuisine of Grondola is centered around local ingredients, but is influenced by the heavy interaction with its neighbors throughout history.

Croxetti con sugo blanco is a simple, but delicious dish that makes me feel close to Gram. Croxetti is pasta shaped like large flat coins and have a coat of arms or ornate image stamped onto them. You probably won't find these at a supermarket, but can easily find them at an Italian specialty shop (like I did) or on the Internet. Croxetti cook up just like any other dried pasta and then the white sauce is made in a matter of seconds in a food possessor. It's similar to a creamy pesto, but uses marjoram rather than basil and not so much of it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried croxetti pasta
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup chopped marjoram
• freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

1. Melt butter over low heat and then remove to cool. 
2. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, but do not overcook. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then drain. 
3. Place into food processor the pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, milk, and marjoram. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. Then slowly add the butter to prevent the sauce from creating a foam, continuing to blend. Season to taste. Sauce should be thick at this point.
4. Thin the sauce with a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and then toss with the drained pasta. 
5. Serve immediately, garnished with grated Parmesan.