Corn ‘Nduja and Mozzarella Cappellacci

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Thinking back to when I first started pasta Sunday IRL, each week I would research and test different recipes, shapes, sauces etc, and set myself a Sunday project. One cookbook that was by my side throughout that period, was Thomas McNaughton’s Flour + Water. If you don’t have this book in your arsenal, I highly recommend grabbing a copy.

In that book – nestled right in the middle pages – is a recipe for a sweetcorn filled cappelletti, served in a beautiful, buttery emulsion. It’s one of Flour + Water’s signature dishes, and after making it at home in my own kitchen, I instantly understood why it never comes off the menu.

This dish truly is an ode to that. Utilising similar preparation principles, a delicious combination of corn and mozzarella is lightly spiced by the addition of ‘nduja. A corn stock is made with the leftover cobs, simmered until reduced and rich, then used as the base to make a beurre monté style emulsion. Basil to garnish, a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano – it is SO pretty on the plate and a perfect sweet/savoury hit *swoons*.

Serves 4 – makes around 60-80 cappellacci

Ingredients

Pasta dough  

• 1 batch of my master pasta dough

Filling

• Olive oil 

• 1/2 brown onion, diced 

• 1 garlic clove, minced 

• 20g ‘nduja 

• 2 corn cobs, kernels removed and cobs reserved 

• 250g hard mozzarella (the shreddable kind, not buffalo mozzarella), cut into cubes 

• 25g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated 

Basil oil

• 1 large bunch of basil, roughly 60g

• 1/4 cup neutral oil, like vegetable or rapeseed oil

• 1/4 cup mild olive oil 

Corn butter

(For the corn stock) 

• Reserved corn cobs 

• 2 bay leaves 

• 1/2 brown onion

• 10 black peppercorns 

  • this should yield about 200ml condensed corn stock

(To finish) 

• 200g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• Lemon 

• Fresh basil leaves, and flowers (if you have any growing!), to serve

Method

Filling

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan then add the onion and let it sweat for a few minutes before following with the garlic. 

2. Once fragrant, add the ‘nduja and let it cook down to more of a paste. 

3. Add the corn kernels and gently sauté on a low heat for around 10 minutes. 

4. Add the cubes of mozzarella and allow it to melt. 

5. While still hot, add the cheesy corn mix to a blender and blend until smooth. 

6. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the grated parmigiano – check for seasoning and adjust as desired.

7. Set aside until cool.  

Corn stock

1. Place the corn cobs, bay leaves, onion and peppercorns in a pot and add just enough water to cover. 

2. Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer for 45-60 minutes until you have a rich and reduced broth. 

3. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.

Shaping the cappellacci

1. Divide the dough into four pieces. Work with one at a time – flatten the piece with your hand or a rolling pin before passing it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine. Fold the edges in to create a neat rectangle that fits the width of your pasta machine, and run it through the thickest setting again until your dough is uniform in shape

2. Continue passing your dough through the machine, working through each thickness setting until it’s 1/16” thick, typically the third to last setting on most machines

3. Cut the pasta sheet into two or three pieces so it’s easier to work with, then cut the sheet into 6x6cm squares. Roll the scraps back into a ball ready and keep covered with the rest of the unused dough

4. Place a dollop of the filling in the centre of each square, leaving around 1cm around the edges

5. Fold the north side of the square over to create a rectangle, using your fingers to press around the filling to seal and to remove as much air as possible

6. Make a small dimple into the middle of the filling side of the rectangle, then take the two bottom corner edges, bring them together so they just overlap, and press to seal

7. Continue with the rest of the dough, using as much of the cuttings/pasta sheet scraps as possible to reduce any waste

8. Place each cappellacci on a baking tray lined with a clean tea towel, or dusted with fine semolina

Basil oil

1. Blanche the basil for a minute or so before transferring to an ice bath.

2. Once cool, squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible and add to a blender along with the oils.

3. Blitz until completely smooth and combined – you don’t want to see little bits of leaves in the oil.

4. Strain through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve and discard any of the basil pulp.

Finishing Touches

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, season generously with salt.

2. Add 1/3 cup of the corn stock to a large frying or sauté pan over a medium heat.

3. Once the stock is boiling, start to drop in a few cubes of cold butter, swirling the pan and whisking continuously until the butter is emulsified and uniform.

4. Continue adding the rest of the butter, whisking, whirling and swirling.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

6. Drop the cappellacci into the boiling water and cooking for 2 minutes.

7. Scoop out with a slotted spoon or spider, and drop directly into the corn butter sauce.

8. Gently whirl and toss to coat all of the cappellacci in the sauce, adding a squeeze of lemon to taste.

9. Serve with drizzled of basil oil, fresh basil and Parmigiano Reggiano.

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