sacchetti with ricotta, pears, and mascarpone

…with a twist!

add gorgonzola dulce for a unique burst of flavor!

I first had Sacchetti with ricotta and pears in a little restaurant in Mount Dora, Florida, called Café Gianni. Gianni is a native Italian who serves this classic stuffed pasta dish in a cream sauce with sherry and tiny shrimp. He was happy to make it for me with smoked salmon instead of the shrimp. It was so good, that I struggle to order anything else when I go there. And, because it’s so good, I decided to replicate the dish at home, which I did with great success.

I love pears. One of my favorite fillings for omelets is pears and bleu cheese. So I thought, why not add some bleu cheese to the pears in the sacchetti?

You know how I like to play with my food!

I had no doubt that the right bleu cheese for the recipe would be gorgonzola dulce. Sweet—dulce means sweet—where some other bleu cheeses could be sharp, and more creamy than crumbly, it would work as a replacement for the mascarpone in my original recipe. When I make it with the bleu cheese I leave the lemon zest out.

One could (and I have done so) make the sacchetti with home made pasta. I won’t deny that it’s wonderful that way. But I’m making it as part of my menu for Parasha Lech Lecha, and it’s one of four dishes (plus home baked challah), so I feel the need to cut a few corners. My quick way of putting these together is to use either store-bought dumpling wrappers, or fresh lasagna sheets, cut into squares.

There are many sauces you could choose to serve them with, but today I’m going with a pumpkin tomato sauce. Sound strange? I thought so, too, but when I saw a jar of it at Trader Joe’s, I was intrigued. I went for it, knowing there’d be no in-between—I’d love it or I’d hate it. Spoiler alert: I loved it. But it’s a seasonal item at that store, and with a very short season at that. It’s actually very easy to make it from scratch at home. Click here for the recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Tomato Sauce.

I offer you the recipe with or without bleu cheese, and with or without home made pasta. The sauce you use is also up to you. Follow my recipe for pumpkin tomato sauce or simply dress them with some garlicy brown butter and grated parmesan. A light cream sauce, with or without lemon, is also lovely.

Tonight, I’m making these as part of my menu for Parasha Lech Lecha.

Sacchetti with Ricotta, Pears, and Mascarpone

…with a Twist of Gorgonzola Dulce  

Ingredients:

• Rolled out sheets of home made pasta, dumpling wrappers, or sheets of store bought fresh lasagna

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta

• ½ cup mascarpone cheese and the grated zest of one lemon

• Or ½ cup gorgonzola dulce

• Or ¼ cup mascarpone and ¼ cup gorgonzola dulce for a milder bleu cheese flavor

• ¼ cup finely grate Parmigiano Reggiano or Locatelli cheese

• ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary needles

• 1 large or 2 medium firm ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into small dice.

Method:

• If you’re using fresh pasta or lasagna sheets, cut them into 3 ½” squares or circles. I like using squares because there’s no waste.

• In a small bowl, blend the ricotta with the gorgonzola and/or the mascarpone, the grated cheese, the lemon zest if using, and the rosemary. Mix them together until well combined. Then, fold in the diced pears.

• Lay out your circles or squares of dough and drop one teaspoon of the filling into the center. Don’t over-fill them or they’ll burst when you cook them.

• Using a small pastry brush or a finger, spread a bit of water all around the perimeter of the dough, then gather up the sides and pinch them together into little purses. Set them aside on parchment or on a lightly floured surface in a single layer while you make the rest of the sacchetti.

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and gently lower in the sacchetti. Boil the sacchetti for about 3—4 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the pan with your sauce. Toss them gently in the sauce and serve.