What is it?
Corzetti (sometimes called croxetti) are small, thin rounds of pasta embossed with decorative patterns. Originating from the Ligurian coast of Italy, where Genoa is located, the pasta is thought to have been first stamped with a coin, called a corzetto in medieval Genoa. Nowadays, though, pasta makers use stamps such as this one to make elaborate designs, ranging from coats of arms to geometric patterns to flowers, sunbursts, or even octopi.
The wooden stamp has two parts. One is barrel-shaped with a raised edge at one end for cutting the rounds of pasta and a decoratively carved surface on the other. The second piece consists of another carved surface attached to a handle. After making a traditional corzetti dough from flour, egg, water, and white wine, I rolled it, cut rounds with the stamp, placed each round between the stamp’s two carved surfaces, and pressed on the handle to emboss the dough. Provided I kept both sides of the stamp well floured, it was easy to imprint each disk. I dried the corzetti on a baking sheet and then cooked
