What's for dinner tonight? Pizzoccheri

March 29, 3:11 PMSan Diego Food ExaminerAlice Louise Karow

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Okay, what happened to spring? All of the sudden, it’s chilly outside and cloudy so I’m reaching for a cozy comfort food. Thanks to New York Times' Mark Bittman for this Pizzoccheri recipe.

It calls for broad buckwheat noodles called pizzoccheri, but suggests that you can use whole wheat noodles instead. If you’re going gluten-free, then choose from the many alternative pastas made from rice, quinoa and other starches. Gluten-free breadcrumbs are also available, or run some puffed rice and puffed millet cereal through your food processor.

Cheese holds this dish together literally and also in terms of flavor, so don’t be tempted to compromise; use the Fontina and the Parmesan.

Sage is an herb you may not use on a regular basis, but it also contributes to this dish’s flavor. Be sure to cook per the instructions – raw sage tastes like turpentine, while cooked sage has a wonderful hearty flavor!

                                                                                                               PIZZOCCHERI
  Photo credit Cheryl Herrick, CrankyCakes                                                                           Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

1 stick of butter (1/4 pound)
4 fresh leaves of sage
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1 medium-size potato, peeled and sliced thinly
1 small head Savoy cabbage, trimmed and sliced thinly
1/2 pound flat, broad buckwheat noodles (aka pizzoccheri) or whole wheat noodles
1 cup fontina Val d’Aosta (or other good semisoft) cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups bread crumbs.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2, In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter with sage and garlic until butter begins to turn nut-brown; be careful not to burn sage leaves. Set aside.

3. Cook sliced potato and cabbage in boiling water until they begin to soften, just 5 minutes or so. Then, add pasta to the same pot and continue to cook until pasta is nearly done. Drain vegetable-pasta combination.

4. In a large oven-proof baking dish, layer ingredients in the following order: start with a layer of vegetable-pasta combination, then, grated fontina cheese, next grated Parmesan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue with layers until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of Parmesan; ideally you will have four layers of each.

5. Cover top of dish with bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter and sage (discard garlic).

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until top is golden-brown and cheese has melted. Serve hot or warm. Enjoy!