Ogliastra Culurgionis

To prepare the Ogliastra culurgionis, start by cooking the potatoes needed for the filling: they should be peeled and cut into two or four wedges depending on the size to then be boiled, so they will cook faster. Cook them for about 40 minutes on low heat, covered with a lid. In the meantime, pour the all-purpose flour and durum wheat flour onto the work surface, add the salt 1, mix, pour in the olive oil 2, then create a hole in the center 3.

Pour the water gradually 4 and mix with your fingers 5 gathering the surrounding flour. Knead 6 and if you notice that the dough is too hard, you can soften it with just a little bit of water.

Knead for a good 3-4 minutes 7 and once ready 8, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 10 minutes 9.

Meanwhile, peel the garlic, remove the core, then grate directly into a bowl where you have placed the fiscidu 10, mix with a fork to soften and mash it 11. Drain and mash the hot potatoes in a separate bowl with a potato masher 12 or a fork.

Mix 13, add dried mint 14 and the fiscidu and garlic cream 15.

Season with olive oil 16, salt 17, and grated Sardinian Pecorino cheese 18.

Continue to stir to create a homogeneous filling 19, finish with a spatula for a smooth filling then set aside. Take the dough, divide it into two parts 20 and cover with plastic wrap the parts you are not using immediately. Dust the work surface with flour, roll out slightly by hand and then with a rolling pin, then pass through the pasta machine several times for a very thin sheet 21.

Using a 2.5-inch cookie cutter, cut out round shapes 22. Place the culurgionis filling in a piping bag without a nozzle and fill each round 23, then remove the excess dough. Now comes the most anticipated moment: the "a spighitta" closure of the culurgionis. Hold the round with one hand, gently press the filling with the index finger of the other hand to flatten it 24.

Then start from the outermost point to close the dough moving towards the other side 25 26 to close it like a spike, alternating thumb and index finger movements to pinch the dough. The first one is ready 27; as you finish closing them you can place them on a towel sprinkled with semolina.

The culurgionis cook in salted water brought to a boil 28. It will take about 2 and a half minutes. Count another minute from when they float to the surface. We recommend dropping them gently into boiling water, a few at a time because otherwise they could open. You can dress them the traditional classic way, with a simple fresh tomato sauce and grated Sardinian Pecorino cheese on each serving plate 29 30. Enjoy!