Spoja Lorda (Cheese Stuffed Pasta Squares)

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Today I want to talk to you about an interesting and unique recipe from the Emilia-Romagna region called Spoja Lorda (spoya lordah). Spoja Lorda is a stuffed fresh pasta that’s filled with cheese and traditionally served in broth. It’s perfect for the bitter cold weather we’ve been having lately. For those of you intimidated by stuffed pasta making, it could be a perfect recipe to start with. Compared to others, it’s very simple to prepare. Even better, it is delicious! It’s an excellent dish to make you happy, keep you warm, and give you comfort in the dead of winter.

A Little Background…

Spoja Lorda, (also called Spoia Lorda, Minestra Imbottita, Mnëstra Imbutida, Minestra Piena, and Quadratini Ripieni) is a pasta dish I first came across in Brisighella, a small town in the Ravenna Province. (For those interested, I wrote a post about the town here.) The dish originated in that area, in the hills of Faenza and Brisighella. When I saw it I became intrigued immediately because I had never seen or heard of it before. (It’s very cute too!) It’s yet another example of how hyper-regional Italian cuisine is. Even in Emilia-Romagna it’s not that widespread. The vastness of Italian cuisine never ceases to amaze me. I will never learn or eat it all, but I will keep eating and cooking my way through as many dishes as I can!

To prepare Spoja Lorda, you thinly roll out fresh pasta dough and spread a very thin layer of cheese filling on half of it. Then, you delicately fold the other half of the dough on top of the filling and cut it into little squares with a fluted pastry cutter. It’s easy and adorable. If you are unfamiliar with the fantastic YouTube channel, Pasta Grannies, I encourage to check it out and subscribe. It’s a glorious channel that features Italian grandmothers making traditional pasta. Click this link to see a nonna making Spoja Lorda.

La Cucina Povera

When translated literally, Spoja Lorda means dirty dough, which suggests how little filling you should be smearing on the dough. It was a dish created by thrift and a desire to not waste, which I really appreciate. Crafty housewives who didn’t want to waste leftover filling from making cappelletti, would use their remaining filling to prepare Spoja Lorda.

A fancier and more famous filled pasta, cappelletti, is similar in shape to tortellini, but looks more like little hats. They are a traditional staple in the Romagna area on Christmas Day, served in broth. They are generally made with a meat or cheese filling. Spoja Lorda was born using leftover filling from Cappelletti Magri (magro meaning thin/lean), which is the meatless, cheese variety. To extend the mixture further, they added milk which also made it more spreadable. Cool huh?

As time has passed, Spoja Lorda has become a dish in its own right. Due to its popularity, Brisighella holds an annual sagra (food festival) for Spoja Lorda. Last year I got to go to the sagra, where I sampled it in broth and in a simple sauce with cherry tomatoes, arugula and speck. It was scrumptious both ways. I love it because it is appealing, yummy, and easy to make. Spoja Lorda scratches the itch of a stuffed pasta in broth without all of the time-consuming effort. At the sagra I saw a recipe written by Beatrice, the sfoglina (pasta maker) at the town’s pasta shop. (Called Arte del Matterello.) She graciously said that I could use her recipe on my blog. Below, I have translated and adapted the recipe, plus fleshed out the instructions.

Spoja Lorda ingredients

Let’s talk about the ingredients! What’s inside? Well, it’s a very simple filling, usually with 2-3 kinds of cheese, freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch of salt and an egg. That’s it. For the cheese, some traditional choices are:

• Fresh cow’s milk ricotta
• Squacquerone
• Raviggiolo
• Robiola
• Aged, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In Beatrice’s recipe, she uses fresh ricotta, squacquerone and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. If you are reading this outside of Italy, you will not find squacquerone. It is a slightly tangy cheese that is highly perishable and not exported. As a substitute, I would try either cream cheese, goat cheese, Boursin or possibly Fromage Blanc. You want the second cheese to have a delicate tang and to be very spreadable. If you have a Farmer’s Market near you, you may want to try a combination of mild, local cheeses for this recipe, then just add Parmigiano-Reggiano. (That one is not negotiable!) For the ricotta, I recommend that you use the best that you can get your hands on, preferably fresh. Italian cuisine is very simple but truly relies on exceptional ingredients. That’s why everything tastes so darned good here.

In the recipe below, the Spoja Lorda is served in broth. Made with homemade broth, the dish is superb. Generally, they seem to use a mixed meat broths here vs. chicken, like we use in the US. I usually make a simple broth with some chicken and beef, onions, carrots, celery, a sprig of parsley and maybe a tomato. Nothing complicated. Use what you wish. If you have a pressure cooker, you can whip up homemade broth very quickly. At other times of the year, get creative and sauce Spoja Lorda with seasonal vegetables. (Boil the pasta in salted boiling water.) I think next summer I’m going to try cherry tomatoes, zucchini and pancetta or prosciutto. Yum!

As always, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and let me know if you have tried the recipe. Any other cheese suggestions would be very appreciated.

For more fresh egg pasta recipes, please check out my recipes for Tortellini in Brodo, Rosetta al Forno, Lasagna with Mushrooms, Ham & Bechamel, and Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli.

Spoja Lorda

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Serves: 4-6

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• For the pasta:
• 400 grams (14 oz) "00" flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour (every 100 grams = 1 scant cup)
• 4 large eggs
• For the filling:
• 200 grams (7 oz) ricotta cheese, preferably fresh
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) soft tangy cheese, such as goat, cream cheese, Fromage Blanc, or Boursin
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
• 1 egg
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• fine sea salt, to taste
• 1 1/2-2 liters (1 1/2-2 quarts) meat or chicken broth, preferably homemade (see note)

Instructions

1. First, prepare the pasta dough. Place the flour on a clean work surface and form a well in the center by creating a circular wall of flour with enough space in the center to hold the eggs. Crack the eggs into the well and start beating them with a fork, adding the flour bit by bit in a circular motion from the surrounding wall of flour to create a smooth dough that is moist, yet firm, and not sticky. Once you’ve incorporated all of the flour into the eggs, gently knead the dough until it’s very smooth, pliable and doesn’t stick to your hands. It should take about 8-10 minutes. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour. If you'd like, you can make the dough in 1-2 days in advance and put it in the refrigerator. Let the dough come to room temperature before rolling it out.
2. Meanwhile, mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
3. Next, roll out the dough. If doing it by hand, use a long rolling pin to roll the dough into a very thin circle. Then put the entire cheese mixture on half of the dough, spreading it out with an offset spatula or spoon.  Delicately fold over the other half of the dough, making sure to remove any air bubbles. You may use your rolling pin to help you place the dough over the cheese mixture, so that your pasta doesn't tear. Very lightly press down on the dough to get it to adhere to the cheese mixture. With a fluted cutting wheel, first trim the edges trimming off as little as possible. Next, cut the filled pasta into little 1 1/2-2 cm (3/4-inch) squares. You do not have to separate the squares. They can be placed directly into the broth still attached to one another. 
4. If rolling it out by pasta machine, divide the dough into 6 pieces, covering those not in use tightly to prevent air exposure. Flatten the piece, sprinkle it lightly with flour, and roll into an oval with a rolling pin to the thickness of the #1 setting and the width of the cylinders. Next, run the piece once through each setting in order without skipping a number, until you achieve the thickness desired, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking. (I would start with the second or third to last setting and decide if you want it thinner the next time.)
5. As you roll out each piece of dough, place 1/6th of the cheese mixture over half of each piece of rolled out dough. Spread the cheese mixture out very thinly with an offset spatula or spoon. Gently fold over the other half of dough, taking care to get rid of any air bubbles. Very lightly press down on the dough to get it to adhere to the cheese mixture. With a fluted cutting wheel, first trim the edges trimming off as little as possible. Next, cut the filled pasta into little 1 1/2-2 cm (3/4-inch) squares. Continue with the other 5 pieces of dough and the rest of the filling. You do not have to separate the squares. They can be placed directly into the broth still attached to one another. 
6. Bring the broth up to a simmer, checking the seasoning. Delicately place the Spoja Lorda into the broth. (If you put them in too roughly the cheese will leak out and make the broth cloudy.) After 30 seconds or so, gently stir to break the squares apart. After they float to the top they should be done. Taste one just to be sure. Turn off the heat, cover, then let sit for one minute before serving. Serve the Spoja Lorda in the broth with extra grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.

Notes

I give a flexible amount of broth as some people like these kinds of soup brothier than others. You choose. If making ahead, you can put the Spoja Lorda in the fridge on a sheet tray lined with a kitchen towel or parchment paper until ready to cook. I would only keep them a day or two maximum.