Festive Fusilli
These noodles remind me of the bouncy coils that hang from curled ribbon bows. I made this pasta shape by rolling out long, skinny ropes of dough and then carefully wrapping each one around a bamboo skewer. After gently sliding the wrapped dough off the tool, it keeps its spiral shape. Since they are hand-wrapped around the skewer, instead of being rolled between the table and the skewer, the noodles have a thicker, rounder profile than their more stretched out, flattened cou
Roll with it
Ever pursuing my mission to make pasta by hand, I tried out a new tool I picked up in Turin while shopping at Eataly (a gourmet Italian food market sponsored by Slow Food). Truth be told, this spaghetti cutter rolling pin, though new to me, is anything but "cutting edge" technology. It is simply a wooden rolling pin with evenly spaced grooves that gently leave their imprints as you roll it over a sheet of pasta dough. The indentations aren't particularly deep and the cuts mad
Dragged Dough
Strascinati originate from Puglia and Basilicata - southern regions of Italy. In Puglia, they are slightly smaller and rounder, while in Basilicata, they tend to be larger in circumference. Strascinati are always made using the same action - that of dragging pieces of pasta across a large wooden surface stretching them out along the way. In fact, that is how this pasta got its name ("strascinato" means "dragged").
Poor Pici, Fat Spaghetti
Pici find their roots in Italian 'cucina povera,' or 'the cuisine of poverty.' Each strand of this pasta, which looks like fat spaghetti, is rolled by hand into a long, uneven, thick and chewy noodle. It was traditionally considered a 'poor food' because pici were made by the peasants in the countryside surrounding Siena with only 2 ingredients: water + flour. While the South of Italy had grown accustomed to using only these simple ingredients, Tuscan tradition generally reli
Traditional pici-making
Check out this video of a traditional Tuscan grandma from Farnetella making pici - fat spaghetti.
Trofie for the birthday girl
A very dear friend of mine turned 31 today. We've known each other for a long time now -- through college, cross-country moves, and 12 years of shared and solo adventures. For fun, let's call this friend... my Pal :) Pal beat me to the punch when it came to Italian travels, living and eating abroad. During our junior year at Brown, Pal left sleepy Rhode Island to study abroad in Bologna. I was fortunate to be able to visit her there and witness a remarkable thing happen in Pa
Gemelli
This pasta name comes from the Italian word for "twins." Two strands of pasta dough are twisted around each other to make gemelli.
Making Garganelli
Here's a recipe for how to make your own garganelli from yesterday's post. Also, here's a lovely video made by Trattoria da Martino in Bergamo, Italy that shows the technique for making garganelli rigati (with ridges). Definitely check it out to see the traditional ridged-tool used called a pettine. Recipe for Northern Pasta Dough 400 grams OO flour* (a little more than 3 cups) 4 eggs Swirl of olive oil Pinch of salt Spoon of grated parmesan cheese Pinch of nutmeg Semolina fl
Squares of dough that become tubes of pasta
Garganelli resemble penne in that they are short, cylindrical noodles. The differentiating factor between the two pasta shapes is that garganelli are generally homemade and penne are machine-produced. Since penne are extruded from a pasta machine, they are seamless tubes; because garganelli are generally made by hand, they have a signature folded flap showing where the noodles have been sealed into shape. This pasta is of Northern Italian origin. Because of its birthplace, th
Fusilli Calabrese
In case you were interested in making the pasta from yesterday's blog post, here's a great how-to video (from a cooking class at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, CA) about making fusilli calabrese. Give it a try! And email me to tell me how it turned out! As always, I welcome all questions, stories, and photos you would like to share about your own pasta-making adventures.
