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Corsican

Ravioli a u Brocciu — Corsican Brocciu-Filled Pasta

Corsican ravioli filled with brocciu are the island's primary fresh pasta form — a direct inheritance from the four centuries of Genoese administration that brought pasta-making to Corsica, but transformed into a distinctly island preparation through the brocciu filling and the maquis herb seasoning. The pasta dough is simple: plain-flour (or a blend of plain-flour and semolina-flour), egg, and a pinch of sea-mineral-salt — no olive-oil, no complex enrichment. The filling is fresh brocciu mashed with nepita, one egg, and sea-mineral-salt, bound to a consistency that holds its shape when spooned onto the pasta sheet. The ravioli are sealed, cut into squares or half-moons, and dropped into salted boiling water for three to four minutes — they float when cooked. The traditional service is simple: the cooked ravioli tossed in Corsican olive-oil with a few fresh nepita leaves and grated brocciu passu. No tomato sauce, no cream — the filling is the dish; the pasta is the vehicle.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
ServesFour portions
Sourced0of 12 in BC
Cook
I

The Market List

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For the pasta dough
250 g
plain flour
or a blend of plain flour and semolina flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
eggs
Your own market
1 pinch
sea salt
Your own market
For the filling
400 g
brocciu
48-hour-old, well-drained — not same-day
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
135 g
brocciu passu
aged; grated — 3:1 ratio fresh to aged
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
egg
Your own market
1 small bunch
nepita
leaves picked; quantity to season filling as flavour anchor
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
sea salt
Your own market
To seal
1
egg
beaten, for egg wash
Your own market
To finish
4 tbsp
Corsican olive oil
Your own market
1 small handful
nepita
fresh leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
brocciu passu
grated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II

The Method

1
Combine the flour, eggs, and a pinch of sea salt. Work to a smooth, cohesive dough. Rest under a cloth. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back under the palm.
2
Mash the drained 48-hour brocciu with the grated brocciu passu, one egg, the chopped nepita leaves, and sea salt. Mix until the filling holds its shape when spooned — it must not be loose or wet. This is where the dish lives or dies: a filling with excess moisture from same-day brocciu will burst the pasta seams in the cooking water; the 3:1 ratio of fresh to aged brocciu passu acts as binder and reduces that risk.
From the canon — Brocciu passu is the aged form of brocciu — the same whey curd, salted and set aside for a minimum 21 days, during which a dry rind forms and the interior fi… Brocciu Passu — Aged Brocciu and Rind Development →
3
Roll the rested dough into thin sheets. Spoon the filling in regular mounds onto one sheet, leaving a clear margin between each. Brush the margins with egg wash. Lay the second sheet over and press firmly around each mound to exclude air. Cut into squares or half-moons. The seal is confirmed when no air pocket remains and the edge is visibly bonded, without gap or lifting.
4
Drop the ravioli into a large pan of well-salted boiling water. Cook three to four minutes. The ravioli are done when they float to the surface and the pasta appears translucent, revealing the white-ivory filling within intact seams.
5
Lift the ravioli from the water. Toss immediately in Corsican olive oil with a few fresh nepita leaves. Finish with grated brocciu passu. The dish is complete when the pasta carries a light, even coat of oil and the filling, when cut, holds its shape — not runny.
From the canon — Nepita — Calamintha nepeta subsp. Nepita — Corsican Calamint: The Island's Defining Herb →
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Brocciu AOC from a named Corsican producer, 48 hours drained; brocciu passu aged on the island; nepita from the maquis; cold-pressed Corsican olive oil from a single domaine.
02
Estate — Brocciu AOC, well-drained; commercially available brocciu passu; dried nepita of Corsican origin; good-quality Corsican olive oil.
03
Market — Fresh brocciu from a reliable cheesemonger, drained overnight; aged pecorino sardo as a substitute for brocciu passu; fresh mint or pennyroyal in place of nepita; quality Italian or Provençal olive oil.
04
House — Fresh ricotta, well-drained; Parmesan in place of brocciu passu; dried mint; extra-virgin olive oil. Ricotta substitution produces a bland, neutral filling that loses the Corsican character of the dish entirely.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. Sealed edges intact; pasta translucent, revealing white-ivory filling; ravioli float to the surface in the cooking water
◇Touch. Filling holds its shape when spooned onto the pasta sheet — neither loose nor runny
◇Touch. Yielding pasta with soft filling that holds its shape when cut at table — not runny
◇Smell. Nepita herb present throughout; brocciu dairy sweetness; olive oil coat at service
◇Where it lives or dies. The filling must be made with well-drained 48-hour-old brocciu, not same-day: excess moisture breaks the pasta seal and produces ravioli that burst in the cooking water.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Blandy's Sercial Colheita Madeira
Blandy's · Madeira
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Fortified wine
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

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The whole pairing
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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