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Mezzelune

Mezzelune

half moons

Italy
Boiled

Half-moon stuffed pasta found across Italy, with fillings such as ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, or pumpkin.

About this dish

Half-moon stuffed pasta found across Italy, with fillings such as ricotta, spinach, mushrooms, or pumpkin. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.

Recipe

24 crescents
6 servings

Trentino potato mezzelune with spinach and cheese

Dough

  • 600 g cooked peeled starchy potatoes, cooled and riced
  • 180-220 g flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 25 g butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pinch of nutmeg

Filling

  • 250 g spinach, blanched, squeezed and chopped
  • 100 g fresh mild cheese, crumbled
  • 25 g Parmesan, grated
  • 1 small onion (70 g), minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 20 g butter
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce

  • 40 g butter
  • 60 g speck, sliced
  1. 1

    Filling: 250 g spinach, blanched, squeezed and chopped; 100 g fresh mild cheese, crumbled; 25 g Parmesan, grated; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Cook onion and garlic in filling butter; add spinach, cook off moisture and cool. Mix with cheeses and pepper. Cook off spinach liquid and cool before adding cheese.

  2. 2

    Dough: 600 g cooked peeled starchy potatoes, cooled and riced; 180-220 g flour; 2 egg yolks; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Gently combine potatoes, yolks, dough butter, salt, nutmeg and 180 g flour, adding more only if needed to roll. Use smooth dry potato mash; fold lightly and add upper flour only if needed, not automatically.

  3. 3

    Roll 3 mm thick and cut 9 cm circles. Add filling and seal into half-moons. Roll evenly, keep rims clean and seal the full crescent without trapped air.

  4. 4

    Sauce: 40 g butter; 60 g speck, sliced. Boil gently 5-7 minutes until dough is cooked. Brown speck in sauce butter and spoon over dumplings. Test tender shells, drain gently and spoon on the separately browned speck and butter.

Note

This is the regional potato-dough version from the first source, not ordinary egg-pasta mezzelune. Purchased spinach replaces unspecified foraged field herbs.