Spoja lorda: Romagna's leftover filled pasta

In the tradition, spoja lorda, the “dirty sheet”, was born right after making cappelletti, whenever a little filling was left over. To avoid wasting precious ingredients the azdore, the women who ran the farmhouse kitchens, used their wits: the little leftover filling was “stretched” with a drop of milk, a few spoonfuls of ricotta or squacquerone, whatever was to hand, until it could be spread. This cream was smeared over half the sheet so as to dirty it, just barely. The sheet was then folded over and quickly cut with a fluted wheel into little squares of about two centimetres.

Over time spoja lorda went from being a simple way of using up leftovers to a proper feast day dish in its own right: quicker than cappelletti, because there is nothing to close one by one, and every bit as good in broth.

The filling

It must spread easily, with no lumps, but not be wet: if it looks too loose, add a couple of spoonfuls of Parmesan. For the cheese we suggest squacquerone, but you can also use raviggiolo or stracciatella and, why not, whatever is left over in the fridge, keeping the proportions.

Closing

Lay the two halves of the sheet on top of each other and run your hands gently over the pasta, checking there are no air bubbles. Cut with the fluted wheel, pressing hard, across and then down, to get squares of about two centimetres.

The sheet should be thin but not transparent: around the millimetre, as we explain in the guide to rolling pasta by hand. Too thick and the edge stays raw while the middle is cooked; too thin and the moist filling pierces it.

The right broth

Spoja lorda is usually served in broth, and traditionally that is a full meat broth, capon or boiling hen with a piece of beef, made without hurry and well skimmed of fat. We make it in the cappelletti in brodo recipe, and we always make plenty: what is left is for other lunches when we do not want to serve the boiled meats as well. The broth keeps perfectly for two days in the fridge, or for three months in the freezer.

At the table

Spoja lorda is served in boiling broth, in warmed deep bowls, with Parmesan on the side. If you have raw ones left over, freezing beats the fridge: the guide to storing and drying fresh pasta explains how to do it without them sticking together.