Culurgiones (Potato Ravioli)
Today, we are about to dive into what’s basically the Italian version of pierogis, that being Culurgiones. Culurgiones, or potato dumplings, involve thin circles of pasta dough wrapped around a potato and cheese filling that makes them perfect for an Italian dinner party, the holidays, or as something delicious to serve to vegetarians.
You can also make them in advance then freeze them and cook them up like you’d cook frozen ravioli.
I’ll be serving my Culurgiones with a simple tomato sauce, but you can toss them with pesto or any other pasta sauce that you love.
Culurgiones (Potato Ravioli)
Makes 50 dumplings, enough for 10 people
For the dough*:
2 1/4 pounds (1 kilo) of semolina flour
2 cups (450-500 ml) of water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of salt
For the Filling:
2 1/4 pounds (1 kilo) of starchy potatoes like Russets
Salt
3 1/2 oz (100 g) of aged Pecorino Toscano (or parmesan), finely grated
7 oz (200 g) of Pecorino Romano, finely grated
7 oz (200 g) of goat’s cheese
4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Your favorite tomato sauce, for serving
Fresh basil leaves, for serving
*If you don’t have the time to make the pasta dough from scratch, then I suppose those round potsticker wrappers will do the trick. Just…don’t tell anyone who’s Italian.
Step 1: Make the Dough
Dump the flour into a mound on a clean worksurface, then create a wide well in the center. Add the water, oil, and salt, then use a fork combine the wet ingredients and slowly adding in flour until you get a crumbly dough.
Use a bench scraper to bring the dough together into a smoother shape, then begin to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes very firm and smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest for about 30 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Filling
Peel and quarter the potatoes, then get them into a pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, and a bit of salt, then boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, or until very tender.
Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then mash them down with either a potato masher or a ricer to get a fine, smooth texture and allow them to cool.
Once the potatoes are cooled but still warm, add the remaining filling ingredients and stir to combine. Season with salt, be careful cause all of that cheese is salty, and set aside.
Step 3: Roll out the Pasta and Fill
Cut the dough into quarters then roll to a 2 mm thickness with either a rolling pin or pasta roller. Use a 3-inch (8 cm) cookie cutter to cut rounds out of the dough and keep the dough circles covered under a damp towel so they don’t dry out.
Take a dough round, then plop a walnut-size piece (1 tablespoon) of filling into the center. Fold the ends of the dough together to form a half moon shape, then begin the important process of folding and crimping the edges together.
Starting from one corner of the half moon and keeping your non-dominant hand cupped, pinch the dough ends with your thumb and index finger, going in an alternating pleating motion until you reach the other end. To get a better understanding of the technique, check out the video right below.
The technique takes a bit of practice, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it spot on right away. If some of the filling happens to leak out, don’t worry about that either, it means your dumplings will be nice and plump. Some of the dough might tear, but for that it’s good to have extra dough discs.
It should be noted that the Culurgiones can be made up until this point and then you can freeze them for another time.
Step 4: Cook then serve
Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer. Working in batches, add the Culurgiones to the water and let them cook for about 5 minutes, or until they all float to the top.
Take the Culurgiones out with a slotted spoon, toss them with tomato sauce, and serve, topping with fresh basil leaves. There’s no cheese necessary because there’s cheese inside the Culurgiones.
For as long as it took to make them, these Culurgiones were an absolute delight to eat! Soft, delicate pasta wrapped around that cheesy, flavorful potato filling and all of that wonderful tomato sauce to mop up with any dumplings that happened to bust open either during cooking or when they got tossed in the sauce.
