A recipe for casoncelli pasta filled with potatoes, leeks, fresh ricotta, and Grana Padano, served with walnut pesto. In partnership with LaCucinaItaliana.com.

We have officially dipped into freezing temperatures. We covered the garden beds with straw and leaves for the year, and the final harvest picked and carried inside. The lawn was raked and bagged and then promptly littered with a fresh blanket of yellow and red leaves, and the chickens rush into the coop earlier and earlier each evening.

Inside, we’ve taken to soups and baked goods, willingly turning the oven on to help warm our cold kitchen space. And while I enjoy the contentment that comes with autumn, I’m in denial that winter is around the corner. I turn my face up to every last bit of sunshine, and I look for ways to extend the last of the garden herbs into our meals—the last lingering bits of the season.

Where summer meals are often quick and hasty, I allow more time spent cooking when it’s cold, and this allows for meals of fresh pasta, rolled by hand on the counter while bread or a dessert bakes in the oven. Casoncelli are a stuffed pasta that can be formed from a circle folded in half, similar to a potsticker but without the pinching, and the potato and pasta combination is similar to pierogis. They are often served tossed in a butter sauce with herbs; I’ve added a walnut pesto here to continue eeking out those summer notes.

Tips for juggling dinner and the realities of life: If you are looking for a way to work ahead, the pasta dough can be made and refrigerated wrapped in plastic wrap the night or morning before. Likewise, the filling can be stored for a day or so before having the cheeses mixed in.

Potato Leek Casoncelli with Walnut Pesto

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups Italian 00 flour
• ¾ cup semolina flour
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ cups cleaned and sliced leeks
• 1 ½ cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ cup fresh ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel fronds, optional
• ½ cup crispy guanciale
• walnut pesto

Instructions

1. On a cutting board or another flat surface, mix the Italian 00 flour, the semolina flour, and the eggs with a fork until a smooth dough forms. Place the dough in the refrigerator to rest for one hour.
2. While the dough rests, prepare the filling. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the leeks for 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Add water until it just covers the potatoes. Cover the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes and leeks are soft and tender. Mash until smooth and refrigerate until cool.
3. Stir the ricotta, Grana Padano/Parmigiano-Reggiano, an additional ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon white pepper to the potato filling. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is ½” thick. Sprinkle the dough with parsley, fold over once, and continue rolling until it is ¼” thick or thinner. 
5. Cut circles 3” in diameter. Place quarter-sized balls of filling on each circle of dough. Fold each circle in half, bringing the ends together and pressing firmly to seal each filled pasta. 
6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the casoncelli for 3-4 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the water. Toss the pasta with 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water and 2 tablespoons of butter. Serve topped with crispy guanciale and walnut pesto.

The new American website for La Cucina Italiana, which launched this month, inspired this pasta dish. Head over for your own pasta dinner inspiration and recipes for everything from making the best carbonara to creating fresh lasagna sheets for your family recipe.