While Flour + Water’s origin story is grounded in a deep reverence for Italian culinary tradition, we also view our pasta program as a canvas for creative self-expression that equally speaks to our reverence for our Bay Area backyard. Whether it's an opportunity to uplift a local family farm or champion a cause we believe in, we feel strongly that even something as humble as pasta can be a conduit for community engagement.
Through October 15th, our restaurants, Flour + Water and Penny Roma, are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with special pastas crafted as fundraisers for our Mission District neighbors at La Raza Community Resource Center. La Raza is a non-profit organization that serves as a bridge between San Francisco and Spanish-speaking immigrant families, and we couldn’t be prouder to support their work.
At Flour + Water, we’re holding on to corn season with a Corn Meal Sacchetti with huitlacoche, yellow corn, cotija, and mint; and down the block at Penny Roma, our chef Alan Garcia created a Casoncelli de Nogada inspired by Chiles en Nogada, the national dish of Mexico.
A traditional Chiles en Nogada features a stuffed poblano pepper filled with meat, dried fruit and nuts that’s then covered with a creamy walnut sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds. It’s visually stunning on the plate – a culinary representation of the three colors of the Mexican flag – and a celebratory dish that can be traced back to Puebla in 1821, following the treaty that established Mexico’s independence from Spain.
Alan grew up eating Chiles en Nogada in his Los Angeles childhood home where it was a staple on every holiday table. While he began to appreciate it more in adulthood, the dish always carried a deep association with his heritage and how his family honored that heritage together. As a chef, Alan frequently finds inspiration from both his love of Italian culinary technique and the strong food memories he carries from his family’s Sunday gatherings.
Alan’s Casoncelli de Nogada speaks to that duality. The casoncelli (a stuffed pasta from the Lombardy region of Italy) is turned green with the addition of poblano puree to the dough. It’s then filled with braised beef, caramelized onion, more poblano, and a touch of pomegranate molasses. Sauced in a poblano and onion sofrito, along with walnut crema, the dish nods to both the nogada (walnut sauce) from the original, as well as the Ligurian walnut sauce, salsa di noci. As a final touch, the plated casoncelli receives a drizzle of aged balsamic and pomegranate molasses.
It’s undoubtedly one of our favorite special pastas of the year, but it’s even more meaningful to see the reception from guests who immediately recognize and connect with the flavors that celebrate their heritage.
While it’s only available at Penny Roma through mid-October for this round, we hope the spirit behind the dish sparks similar self-expression and culinary exploration in your home.
For more information on how La Raza supports and advocates for Latino and Indigenous immigrant communities, we also encourage you to visit their website. Their impact is truly incredible, and we’re so fortunate to witness their work in practice in San Francisco!