Sardinian Culurgiones In Brown Butter Sauce

The second to last recipe for Roaming Italy! My goodness, I can’t believe it’s gone by this quickly. I’ll keep the sentimentalities short for now, because today’s recipe is really something special.

Sardinian food culture feels like a world in and of itself, so much so that I had a hard time choosing just what recipe I wanted to select from the Italian island (and region!). Sitting pretty on its own in the clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia is a paradise. And its food is uniquely special. So how did I narrow Sardinia’s vast recipe selections down? Easy. Pasta Grannies.

When I began Roaming Italy, I was gifted a copy of “Pasta Grannies.” It quickly became my cozy go-to book when I wanted to reconnect with my Italian heritage. Inside it’s pages are family recipes, made by hand by the most amazing nonnas all around Italy. Pasta Grannies also has an amazing YouTube channel where you can watch these nonnas in their element cooking their favorite pasta dishes. It’s quite possibly my favorite discovery early on in this process! Go check it out.

Anyway! While flipping through my copy of Pasta Grannies, the unique shape of culurgiones made me curious! These potato filled stuffed pasta filled with mint and pecorino piqued my interest automatically. Talk about comfort food, right? I knew I had to learn how to make those iconic braided tops! To seal the deal, I learned that culurgiones are so iconically Sardinian, they were given the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by the EU in 2015. And when a pasta is protected by an organization for the rest of history… you know it’s gonna be a good one. Let me tell you… it really is.

What are Culurgiones?

Culurgiones are a unique shape of stuffed pasta that come from Ogliastra, on the Eastern, mountainous side of Sardinia. With a shape very similar to dumplings, the pasta is traditionally filled with boiled potato, pecorino, garlic, olive oil, mint and served in either a simple tomato sauce or browned butter (like the recipe today)! Other variations substitute in ricotta cheese, lamb, egg, basil, spinach and saffron or are even fried instead of boiled in water. Towns throughout Sardinia that are famous for their culurgiones include Ulassai, Villagrande Strisaili, Jerzu, and Osini.

Regardless of that they’re filled with, the name culurgiones comes from the word “culleus” - which translates to leather pocket. Considering that these small little packages made of semolina flour are silky and full of goodness inside…. just like a leather pouch should be!

For years, culurgiones were only served during special festivals and holidays in Sardinia. You’d find these cuties served on Thanksgiving Day, as well as on November’s Day of the Dead and Carnival. (P.S. during Carnival, culurgiones were filled with lard!) The shape of culurgiones also closely resembles the shape of wheat grain, and is said to be served in August when the wheat grows tall. They also served as talisman to keep families safe from deprivation and hunger.

Little Braids of Dough - The Process!

Oh boy, the fun part! The culurgiones braid is one that caused me much nervousness starting out. Turns out, the process isn’t too difficult… Patience and practice are the two elements you’ll need.

After your dough is made, be sure to cut your pasta into circular shapes and rolled out to peak thinness. After that, place your filling in between the sides and seal the bottom edges together. Fold in each side onto the opposite side, alternating almost like a braid. Once you get to the very top, you may have some of the filling spill out. This is totally fine and you can adjust the amount of filling you put inside for the next one. Seal the very top edges together with a pinch and voila!

Trust me on this, even I struggled through my first five or so culurgiones… but after watching the process a lot on YouTube, I found that tucking and pinching under each side was the step I was sorely missing.

The great news is that even if your little braided top is not aesthetically pleasing, as long as the filling is sealed… the pasta tastes great anyway! So don’t stress out about it!

Sardinian Culurgiones In Brown Butter Sauce

Traditionally, culurgiones are served in a simple tomato sauce… but for this recipe, I was feeling saucy. And so walks in this adapted recipe from Adam Leonti, the chef at Vetri here around the corner in Philly alla Tasting Table’s website (love them). I love the richness how the potato filling with nutty pecornio and super decadent brown butter plays together!

Region: Sardinia

Combine your semolina flour, water and salt in a mixer with the paddle or dough hook attachment on. Mix on medium-low until smooth, for about 7 minutes.
- If mixing by hand, pile a volcano of your flour and create a crater with your fist. Inside the crater, add your water and salt. With a fork, slowly start to integrate the flour and liquid. When the texture becomes too dense, start mixing by hand. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until bouncy and smooth!
Covered your dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into thirds and flatten each piece with your hands. Using a pasta machine to roll, start at the widest setting and move thinner and thinner each time through.
Once thin, cut the pasta sheets into 3- to 4-inch circles. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to fill.
Filling time! Boil your potatoes for about 20 minutes in salted water. Cover and let steam until a fork can easy pierce the potatoes.
Transfer your boiled potatoes to a bowl and mash them while still hot until smooth.
Mix in your Pecorino, olive oil and mint, then mix in the egg.
Season with a hefty amount of pepper and about 2 pinches of salt. Let cool.
Time to stuff! Place a “scant” tablespoon of filling in the middle of your circular dough. Place in between your thumb and index finger. Create a little pasta taco with your hands. Fold the edges of the bottom in on each other, with a gentle pinch. Then take that fold and push it toward the stuffing and pinch again. Alternate sides all the way up the pasta.
Once you’ve reached the top of the pasta, give it a gentle pinch to seal. See the process in action here!
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to boil.
Time to get saucy! Melt your butter in a large pan over medium high head. Cook the butter until brown solids begin to form and the whole room is filled with the scent of its nutty, richness. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat as soon as solids are browned. Season with salt, pepper.
Add your culurgiones into the boiling water for about 2-3 minutes.
Remove and serve on a plate. Drizzle your brown butter over your culurgiones and top with mint and pecorino.
Enjoy!