Ligurian Corzetti Pasta with Marjoram & Pine Nut Sauce | Mama Florence Cooking School

Hand-Stamped Ligurian Corzetti with Marjoram and Pine Nuts

Few pasta shapes are as instantly recognizable as corzetti. These round Ligurian pasta coins are cut and embossed with carved wooden stamps, creating decorative patterns across both their surface and edges. The markings are beautiful, but they also give sauce something to cling to. At Mama Florence Cooking School, our corzetti are made from a firm yolk-based pasta dough enriched with white wine. After resting, the dough is rolled thin, cut into coins, and pressed individually with a traditional corzetti stamp. The finished pasta is paired with an intentionally simple sauce of fresh marjoram, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil so the shape and texture remain at the center of the dish. If you want to learn the stamping technique hands-on, our Handmade Corzetti Pasta Course is devoted specifically to working with traditional wooden corzetti stamps and shaping this distinctive regional pasta.

What Are Corzetti?

Corzetti are a traditional pasta shape associated with Liguria in northwestern Italy. They are made as round, coin-like pieces and embossed using carved wooden stamps. Traditional stamps can carry decorative motifs, geometric patterns, family symbols, or other designs, turning each piece of pasta into something almost ornamental. Corzetti are also functional. The impressed patterns create texture across the pasta surface, helping light sauces, olive oil, herbs, nuts, and cheese cling more effectively. That makes them especially well suited to delicate Ligurian-style sauces that complement rather than hide the pasta.

How to Make Ligurian Corzetti

Begin with the pasta dough. Combine the flour, egg yolks, and white wine and mix until a firm, smooth dough forms. Knead until elastic, then cover and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Once rested, roll the dough to approximately 1/16–1/8 inch thick. Use the cutting side of a corzetti stamp to cut round pasta coins, keeping them close together to minimize scraps. Re-roll any remaining dough as needed. Then press each round between the decorative sides of the wooden stamp to emboss the pasta. For the sauce, gently warm pine nuts and fresh marjoram in extra virgin olive oil until aromatic and the pine nuts begin to turn golden. Boil the corzetti for 4–5 minutes, drain, and serve with the warm marjoram, pine nuts, and olive oil.

Mama’s Secret: Dust the stamped corzetti lightly with semola or flour as you work. The embossed surfaces can stick together easily, and preserving those patterns is part of what makes the finished pasta special.

Corzetti Dough Ingredients:

• 21 oz all-purpose flour • 5 egg yolks • 1 cup dry white wine • Additional flour or semola, as needed for dusting

Marjoram and Pine Nut Sauce Ingredients:

• 2¾ oz pine nuts • 1 bunch fresh marjoram • Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

1. Make the Corzetti Dough

• Place the 21 oz flour in a medium mixing bowl.
• Add the 5 egg yolks.
• Begin adding the 1 cup dry white wine and mix until a cohesive dough forms.
• The dough should feel smooth and slightly firm while still remaining workable.
• If it becomes too soft or sticky, add a little additional flour.

2. Knead the Dough

• Transfer the dough to a clean work surface.
• Knead for several minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and silky.
• Shape into a ball.
• Return it to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

3. Rest the Dough

• Leave the dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• This rest allows the dough to relax before rolling and stamping.

4. Roll the Pasta

• Lightly flour the work surface.
• Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly.
• Aim for approximately 1/16–1/8 inch thick.
• Rolling the dough into a broad, even sheet will make it easier to cut the rounds efficiently.

5. Cut the Corzetti Coins

• Using the cutting side of the corzetti stamp, cut as many rounds as possible.
• Position the cuts close together to minimize waste.
• Gather the scraps, knead them together gently, re-roll, and cut additional rounds.

6. Stamp the Corzetti

• Place each pasta round into the decorative corzetti stamp.
• Press firmly enough to transfer the pattern onto the pasta without tearing it.
• Repeat with each round.

7. Hold the Shaped Pasta

• Dust a tray lightly with semola or flour.
• Arrange the stamped corzetti on top in a single layer.
• Dust lightly again as needed to prevent sticking.

8. Prepare the Marjoram

• Remove the fresh marjoram leaves from the stems.
• Set aside.

9. Make the Pine Nut and Marjoram Sauce

• Coat the bottom of a large skillet generously with extra virgin olive oil.
• Add the 2¾ oz pine nuts and fresh marjoram leaves.
• Warm over medium to medium-high heat.
• Cook gently until the pine nuts begin to turn golden and the marjoram becomes fragrant.
• Take care not to burn the pine nuts.

10. Cook the Corzetti

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
• Add the stamped corzetti.
• Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes, or until tender and al dente.
• Drain thoroughly.

11. Finish and Serve

• Arrange the cooked corzetti on individual serving plates.
• Spoon or drizzle the warm extra virgin olive oil, toasted pine nuts, and marjoram over the pasta.
• Serve immediately.

Why Corzetti Are Stamped

The wooden stamp is more than decoration. The embossed pattern gives the pasta a textured surface that helps hold a delicate sauce. That makes corzetti particularly well suited to preparations based on olive oil, herbs, nuts, and other ingredients that might simply slide off completely smooth pasta. The stamping process also gives each piece its traditional coin-like appearance. If you want to work specifically on this technique, our Handmade Corzetti Pasta Course focuses on using traditional wooden stamps and creating these regional shapes by hand.

Why Pine Nuts Work with Ligurian Pasta

Pine nuts bring richness without producing a heavy sauce. When gently warmed in extra virgin olive oil, they develop a deeper toasted flavor while remaining delicate enough to work with fresh marjoram. They are also closely associated with the flavors of Ligurian cooking. Our Fresh Basil Pesto offers another way to use pine nuts in an Italian sauce, combining them with basil, almonds, Parmigiano, Pecorino, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. That recipe is much creamier and more intense than the light pine nut and marjoram dressing used here, which makes the two a useful comparison.

Why Fresh Marjoram Matters

Marjoram has a gentler, sweeter herbal profile than many stronger Mediterranean herbs. That makes it particularly useful in a sauce this simple. There is no tomato, cream, or heavy meat sauce to cover the pasta, so the marjoram can remain aromatic without dominating. Gently warming it in the olive oil transfers that fragrance into the dressing before the pasta reaches the plate.

Why This Corzetti Dough Uses Egg Yolks

Our supplied dough uses 5 egg yolks rather than whole eggs. The yolks enrich the dough while the white wine provides additional liquid. The finished dough needs enough structure to be rolled thin, cut cleanly, and pressed firmly between the wooden stamps without losing its shape. This is very different from a standard fresh egg pasta such as our Fresh Egg Tagliatelle, where the dough and final shape are designed around rolling and cutting ribbons rather than embossing individual pieces.

The Perfect Bite

The corzetti should be tender but still retain enough structure for the stamped patterns to remain distinct. The sauce should be light enough that those patterns are still visible. Fresh marjoram brings the first aromatic note, followed by the richness of toasted pine nuts and fruity extra virgin olive oil. The best bite catches a pasta coin with a few pine nuts and enough herb-infused oil settled into the stamped grooves.

More Handmade Pasta Recipes to Explore

If you enjoy pasta made and shaped entirely by hand, our Fresh Pici Pasta takes a completely different approach, rolling the dough into thick Tuscan strands rather than stamped coins. Our Fresh Egg Tagliatelle is a useful foundation for traditional egg-pasta rolling and cutting. For another regional hand-shaped pasta, our Handmade Cavatelli with Beef Ragù shows how small pieces of dough can be pressed and dragged by hand to create hollows that catch a heavier sauce. And for another Ligurian flavor direction, our Fresh Basil Pesto explores basil and pine nuts in a richer sauce built around one of the region’s most recognizable preparations.

Learn to Make Corzetti in Florence

Corzetti are one of those pasta shapes where the tool and hand movement are much easier to understand when you see them used in person. At Mama Florence Cooking School, our Handmade Corzetti Pasta Course focuses specifically on shaping pasta with traditional wooden corzetti stamps. Mama Florence’s current schedule continues to include the Handmade Corzetti Pasta Course alongside other fresh-pasta experiences. You can also explore our broader Pasta Making Cooking Classes in Florence, where the current program includes Corzetti, fresh pasta, gnocchi, pesto and pasta, and other regional shapes. The real value of the corzetti class is tactile: learning how firm the dough should be, how thin to roll it, how much pressure to apply to the stamp, and how to keep the embossed pasta from sticking before cooking.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are corzetti? A: Corzetti are round, stamped pasta coins traditionally associated with Liguria.

Q: How are corzetti shaped? A: The dough is rolled thin, cut into rounds, then embossed between the decorative sides of a wooden corzetti stamp.

Q: How thick should corzetti dough be rolled? A: Our recipe rolls the dough to approximately 1/16–1/8 inch thick.

Q: How long should corzetti dough rest? A: Rest the dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Q: What is corzetti dough made from? A: Our supplied ingredient list uses flour, egg yolks, and dry white wine.

Q: How many egg yolks are used? A: The recipe uses 5 egg yolks.

Q: How long do fresh corzetti cook? A: Cook them in salted boiling water for approximately 4–5 minutes.

Q: What sauce goes with corzetti? A: Our recipe uses a simple dressing of fresh marjoram, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, and the flavorful oil created as the nuts and herbs cook.

Q: Can I make corzetti without a wooden stamp? A: The distinctive embossed design in this recipe comes from a traditional corzetti stamp, so the stamp is central to reproducing this particular shape as intended.

Q: Why are corzetti stamped? A: The decorative impressions create the traditional appearance while also giving sauce more textured surface to cling to.

Q: What are good alternatives to corzetti if I want handmade pasta? A: Fresh pici, cavatelli, and tagliatelle all explore different handmade pasta techniques and work with very different sauces.

Q: Are pine nuts cooked before serving? A: Yes. They are gently heated in extra virgin olive oil with fresh marjoram until golden.

 

Disclaimer

Please note that our chefs may adapt recipes according to seasonal ingredient availability and participants’ dietary or allergy requirements. As a result, the ingredients, preparation, or presentation shown in this recipe may vary from what you prepared during your Mama Florence class. In some cases, elements of a dish may also appear as separate recipes — for example, the fresh pasta you prepared may be paired here with a different sauce, while the sauce from your class may appear in another recipe. Please reach out to our team if any confusion arises. Thank you — the Mama Florence Family.

Reviews

4.9 13 reviews

1. Simple food that reminds you why you booked the flight in the first place.

   Ian P.

   Glasgow, UK · July 2026

2. One thing that helped me: start with the slowest step and organise everything else around it.

   Silvia D.

   Padua, Italy · July 2026

3. Clear steps, no fuss, and the yield is honest — it fed four of us with a little left over.

   Allison W.

   Providence, USA · May 2026

4. My kitchen is warm and the dough was stickier than expected. Added flour a spoon at a time as suggested and it was fine.

   Markus H.

   Cologne, Germany · May 2026

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