In typical Sardinian fashion, when dough is involved, cooks always go the extra mile. While in other regions, filled pastas are pressed flat to close, Sardinians crimp or cut theirs with brass tools that leave behind intricate patterns. Culurgiones, the island’s stuffed pasta parcels, aren’t simple rectangles or disks, or even half-moons like ravioli panteschi (see page 242). Instead, they are plump dumplings pinched closed in a way that creates a seam resembling a stalk of wheat. The closure, called sa spighitta, takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it and muscle memory takes over, making these dumplings is a wonderfully meditative process. Common fillings are fresh cheese, potatoes, and garlic. Here I have gone with the super cheese-heavy filling from Ovile Bertarelli, a working farm and restaurant in eastern Sardinia, and paired it with a buttery sage sauce—though you can pair it with sugo povero (see page 68) as they do instead. I’d love it if you tried making culurgiones, but if you’re not down, you could substitute 1¾ pounds of frozen potato pierogi or one batch of ravioli panteschi.