The name already says it all. Burnt wheat was what the peasants after the harvest - and after the stubble was burned - could collect in the wheat fields by "courtesy" of their landowners. For the poor masses of workers who converged on Puglia for the wheat harvest, even if burnt, those grains of wheat were an important resource to be mixed with a few handfuls of white flour to make bread or pasta at home, with a bitter taste but forever in able to feed their families. With the arrival of the large agricultural machiones and the end of the feudal peasant civilization as well as the improvement of general living conditions, this custom was almost lost. Then the memory of the roots of times gone by prompted some cooks to recall those flavors by toasting the grains of wheat in the oven instead of burning them. And burnt wheat is back in fashion with many great chefs. Among other things, since it is a wholemeal flour, it has a lower gluten content, which according to research by the University of Foggia, would make it suitable for those suffering from gluten intolerance. Finally, compared to classic wheat flour, burnt wheat flour has a higher protein and mineral salt content.
Recipe for 4 people:
For the Arso wheat pasta
3 eggs
300 g wholemeal burnt wheat flour
extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt.
Pfor the filling of the tortelli
300 g semi-seasoned Umbrian/Tuscan caciotta
100 g Roman pecorino
100 gr parmigiano reggiano
1 egg
50 g cornstarch "maizena"
For the dressing
2 pears
100 grams shelled almonds
Procedure:
Place the flour and eggs in a bowl, start working with a fork and as soon as the dough begins to take shape, continue working by hand on a pastry board. Knead the dough until it is uniform, then wrap it in cling film and let it rest at room temperature for half an hour. Then proceed to make a thin sheet from which you will obtain the tortelli to be filled
Blend together the cheeses, egg and cornstarch and then put in a sac à poche to fill the tortelli.
From pears with the help of a corer make spheres. Do not throw away the pear waste which instead must be sautéed in a pan adding a little water, then after 10 minutes blend everything to obtain a homogeneous cream to put at the base of the dish.
Blanch the tortelli in water and salt then mix them with butter and a sage leaf, sprinkle with Parmesan and pecorino.
Prepare some flaked almonds and toast them in the oven at 120 degrees for 5 minutes
Plating
Arrange the pear cream base on a plate on which the tortelli will be placed. Then put the pear spheres, the almonds on top and add a good grind of fresh black pepper. Garnish as desired with a few leaves of soncino and edible flowers
And that's it.
