strozzapreti / handmade strozzapreti

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

the moment of truth

Our tour of the 20 regions of Italy organized by Trattoria MuVarA is coming to an end. It feels like yesterday that we started from Aosta Valley. Then, every two weeks, we have been hopping around the Italian peninsula discovering interesting places and tasty dishes along the way. I have created a page that gathers the links to all the recipes I prepared during the tour. Our last stop is Emilia-Romagna, a region rich in history, culture, and culinary traditions, a region that includes renowned cities like Bologna, Parma, Ferrara, Modena, Ravenna, etc. I know that people around the world followed closely the news of the earthquake that shook Emilia this past spring. I think it is fitting that we end our tour with a visit to that region.

To celebrate Emilia-Romagna, I chose to explore yet another pasta shape: strozzapreti (bear with me, I am on a pasta roll) . I will tell you that in Italian strozzare means to strangle, to choke, and that preti means priests, and I will stop here. There is much speculation about the origin of the name of this pasta shape and you can read about it around the web, if you wish. None of the theories put forward to explain the rather sinister name of strozzapreti has a bearing on the making and eating of this type of pasta.

The one thing I want to remark upon is that the same name indicates different types of pasta, depending on the region. So strozzapreti in my region of Umbria (also called stringozzi) is a different type of pasta from the strozzapreti you see in this post. Remember that the so-called Italian cuisine is not a coherent whole, but rather the result of the aggregation of culinary traditions deeply rooted in the local history, culture, agricultural and industrial production, art, etc.

I browsed around the web to gather information on how to make strozzapreti. I asked Vanessa of Italy in SF, who hails from Romagna, about the use of 00 flour (farina 00). She confirmed such use and also told me that her grandmother adds to the dough one egg for 500 g of flour (a bit more than a pound). In this post by Sean of Punk Domestic, you can see images of pasta making with nonna Fernanda during a trip to Emilia-Romagna.

ready to be cut

To make strozzapreti, I roll the dough to 1.5 mm / 1/16-inch thickness, hence thicker than when I make tagliatelle. I then cut the rolled dough into strips about 1/2-inch / 1.25 cm wide. With the palm of my hands, I roll each strip and with my fingers I break it, as the short video below shows. Note that each recipe I read contains different measures for the width of the strips and the length of the strozzapreti. The measures I give are based on my experience and preferences.

The video includes an alternative way of shaping I have seen that is not traditional and less fun, but that can be adopted initially, if you feel intimidated by the need to master two actions: instead of using the fingers to cut each strozzaprete, you cut the strip of dough into 2 1/2-inch long pieces beforehand and concentrate on the rolling action. I hope the video clarifies my words.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for strozzapreti

Ingredients for the pasta:

• 3.5 oz. / 100 g Italian 00 flour, sifted (I use KAF Italian-style flour, but other brands are available)
• A scant tablespoon of blended egg (see Note below)
• Enough warm water to make a total liquid amount of 50 g / 1.75 oz.  (see Note below)
• A pinch of salt

Note. Adding one egg per 500 g of flour means that for 100 g of flour, which is what I usually recommend to start with, you need a fraction of an egg. You can get that by subtracting a scant tablespoon of mixed eggs when you make a frittata. Or you can use a tablespoon of leftover egg wash, which is what I did a couple of times. The amount needs not be precise, so don't worry if you have a little less: you'll simply use a bit more water.

Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

• Olive oil
• A shallot, minced
• Leaves of a sprig of thyme
• A small garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 cups strained roasted tomatoes (thawed, if frozen)
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste

Make a dough with the pasta ingredients and knead until nice and smooth. Let the dough rest, covered, for half an hour or so.

Roll the dough into a disk 1/16-inch / 1.5 mm thick. Fold the dough as shown in the photo above and cut it into strips about 1/5-inch / 1.25 cm wide. Take up a strip and shape it into several strozzapreti by rolling the dough between the palms of your hands moving in opposite direction and breaking the rolled portion of the strip with your fingers, as shown in the video. Alternatively, cut the strip into 2 1/2-inch long pieces and shape each one into a strozzaprete. If your hands are dry, moisten them or the rolling motion will be difficult.

Lay out the strozzapreti to dry. You may want to dust lightly with flour the surface where you lay the shaped strozzapreti, to prevent them from sticking. As you can see in the photo below, my strozzapreti vary a bit in length and that's fine by me.

each one is unique

In a small saucepan, warm up a bit of olive oil, then add shallot and thyme. Cook gently for a few minutes, then add garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes. Adjust salt, to taste. Note that this will make more sauce than you need to dress the strozzapreti, but once you have the sauce ready, I am sure you'll find ways of using it, like making more handmade pasta.

Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then toss the strozzapreti in it (what in Italian we call: buttare giù la pasta). The time needed is a bit variable, depending on the size of strozzapreti, how dry they are, etc. Taste and stop the cooking when the strozzapreti are ready. Pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and drain the strozzapreti. Place in a bowl, sprinkle a bit of the cheese on top and stir briefly, then distribute some tomato sauce and toss. Finally, sprinkle some cheese on top and serve immediately.

Alternatively, while the pasta is cooking, place a few tablespoons of the sauce in a small skillet and warm it up. Taste the pasta and stop the cooking slightly earlier than usual. Drain the pasta and drop it into the skillet with the sauce. Stir well over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle some of the cheese and stir one last time. Plate and sprinkle a bit more cheese on the top. Serve immediately. The recipe makes two small portions.

Note: if tomato season is ongoing in your area, you can make tomato sauce using crushed tomatoes, adjusting the cooking time to get a sauce of the right consistency. And if you have fresh basil, you can add a bit of it to the sauce.

This is my contribution to edition #290 of Presto Pasta Nights. The event was created by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by the creator herself. It will be the last edition of PPN, so I invite all of you to say good-bye in style to this popular weekly rendezvous and to thank Ruth for her tireless effort in keeping the food blogging world well fed with pasta dishes. This post contains the roundup of the event.

This is also my submission for the final installment of the Abbecedario culinario d'Italia (Italian Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit all the 20 regions of Italy using the alphabet as guide. Z come Zocca (Emilia-Romagna) is hosted by Roxy of Curiosando in cucina. This page has the list of recipes submitted to the event and a slide show.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

strozzapreti

or launch the strozzapreti audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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pasta, Italian recipe

strozzapreti

pronti per l'assaggio

Nel nostro giro d'Italia organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA siamo arrivati all'ultima tappa, l'Emilia-Romagna. Mi sembra di aver pubblicato ieri la prima ricetta, in onore della Valle d'Aosta! E invece eccoci all'arrivo e mi sembra giusto che concludiamo nella regione che quest'anno è stata tanto nei nostri pensieri a causa del terremoto. La lista delle ricette che ho contribuito all'Abbecedario la trovate su questa pagina.

A proposito di questo, grazie a Francesca di Burro e zucchero, sono venuta a conoscenza dell'iniziativa La mia ricetta per l'Emilia organizzata dall'azienda Melinda Val di Non. Ho contribuito a tale evento una ricetta su briciole, la mia bella mela salata al cartoccio (per l'occasione tradotta in italiano) e anche una ricetta inedita che trovate sulla pagina dell'evento su Facebook: frittata di mele. Andate a vedere quante belle ricette fanno parte della raccolta.

Per celebrare l'Emilia-Romagna ho scelto di fare gli strozzapreti (abbiate pazienza, questo è il mio periodo pastaiolo). Le varie teorie sull'origine del nome sono appunto teorie. Quello che mi preme ricordare è che lo stesso nome viene usato altrove, per esempio in Umbria, per tipi di pasta diversi.

Ho guardato un po' in giro su internet e raccolto informazioni su come fare gli strozzapreti. Ho chiesto conferma a Vanessa di Italy in SF, che è romagnola, dell'uso di farina 00. Oltre a darmi tale conferma, Vanessa mi ha detto che sua nonna usa un uovo per 500 g di farina. In questo post di Sean di Punk Domestic, potete vedere foto di nonna Fernanda e della sessione dedicata alla pasta durante un viaggio in Emilia-Romagna.

pronta al taglio

Per fare gli strozzapreti, spiano la pasta fino ad uno spessore di 1,5 mm, quindi più spessa che per fare le tagliatelle. Poi la taglio a strisce larghe circa 1,25 cm. Col palmo delle mani, arrotolo la pasta e con le dita la rompo, come si vede nel video in basso. Ogni ricetta che ho letto dà misure diverse per larghezza delle strisce di pasta e lunghezza degli strozzapreti. Le misure che uso sono basate sulla mia esperienza e preferenze.

Il video comprende un'alternativa per formare gli strozzapreti che ho visto che non è tradizionale ed è meno divertente, ma che potete provare ad usare all'inizio per semplificare la procedura: invece di usare le dita per staccare ciascun strozzaprete, potete tagliare la striscia di pasta in pezzi lunghi 6 cm prima e poi arrotolarla. Spero che il video renda chiare le mie parole.

Ingredienti:

• 100 g farina 00 setacciata
  
• 10 ml di uovo e acqua calda per un totale di liquido di 50 g (vedi nota sotto)
  
• un pizzico di sale
• sugo di pomodoro a piacere
• Parmigiano-Reggiano grattugiato

Nota. Un uovo per mezzo chilo di farina corrisponde ad una frazione di uovo per 100 g di farina, la quantità che suggerisco di usare all'inizio. Potete sottrarre un pochino di uovo quando preparate una frittata o usare un avanzo di glassa d'uovo.

Lavorare i primi tre ingredienti fino ad avere un bell'impasto liscio. Farlo riposare, coperto, per una mezz'ora. Spianare la pasta fino a quando sia spessa 1,5 mm. Tagliarla a strisce larghe 1,25 cm. Prendere in mano una striscia e formare gli strozzapreti usando il palmo delle mani per arrotolare la pasta e le dita per staccare il pezzo arrotolato, come si vede nel video. In alternativa, tagliare una striscia a pezzi lunghi 6 cm e arrotolarli. Se avete le mani asciutte umettatele un po' o arrotolare la pasta è difficoltoso. Lasciar asciugare. Come si vede nella foto sotto, i miei strozzapreti variano un po' in lunghezza: che dire? Sono fatti a mano!

ogni strozzaprete è unico

Preparate un sugo di pomodoro come volete. Nel mio caso, avevo della passata di pomodori arrosto e ho usato quella.

Cuocete gli strozzapreti in abbondante acqua salata, conditeli con sugo e formaggio a piacere. Questa ricetta fa due porzioni piccole.

Questo è il mio contributo all'Abbecedario culinario d'Italia, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare tutte le regioni italiane utilizzando come guida l'alfabeto. Z come Zocca (Emilia Romagna) è ospitata da Roxy di Curiosando in cucina.

Questa pagina contiene la lista delle ricette inviate all'evento e uno slide show.

 

Comments

[Alicia (foodycat)]

I've never had it made freshly, only ever dried. Such a good shape for clinging to sauce!

[Ruth]

What a wonderful finale. Thanks for another terrific handmade pasta for me to try. and thank you so much for all the hosting and participating. You've helped make Presto Pasta Nights such a hit.

[Simona Carini]

I agree, Alicia, the shape is quite conducive to sauce pick up.

You're more than welcome, Ruth. It's always been my pleasure. I will keep making more pasta and remember Presto Pasta Nights.

[Paz]

Yes, each one is unique. Delicious-looking! I'd love a taste!

[My Italian Smörgåsbord]

your pictures are so alluring and you are so incredibly skilled at making fresh pasta that you make me feel like I HAVE TO do this soon. considering that my little one almost exclusively eats pasta, this may be something I ough to do for her... ps: farina 00? non semola di grano duro?

[A Canadian Foodie]

Simona
Your handmade past posts are my favourite. No one does this - and the videos are excellent! I learn a lot with the preparation and readings, as well. I didn't know you were from Umbria! We stayed there a year ago for 4 days - at Letizia's bed and Breakfast called Madonna del Piatto and I took one of her cooking classes, too. I had been to Assisi a few other times and just cannot get enough of the area.
:)
V

[Aiuolik]

La Z di Zocca è stata un successone anche grazie a te! Ed eccola qui: http://abcincucina.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/z-come-zocca.html.

A breve in Trattoria pubblicherò un post riassuntivo di questo bellissimo viaggio che non sarebbe stato lo stesso senza di te.

A presto!
Aiuolik

[Molly Hashimoto]

Simona, this looks so delicous. I am going to review all your pasta posts and pick my favorite to try out for a special holiday treat for friends and family!

[Simona Carini]

Thanks, Paz. I wish it were easy to send you some.

Ciao Barbara. I consider myself more stubborn than talented: when I decide that I want to make a certain shape, I soldier through and don't let anything deter me. Cosi' ho letto e cosi' mi e' stato confermato: farina 00.

Thanks for your kind words, Valerie. I am so glad to read you've visited my native region. Assisi is a truly special place and even though I've been there more times than I can count, I love to visit whenever I can.

Grazie Aioulik!

Hi Molly. That sounds like a nice idea. Let me know which one you choose.

[Dmitriy]

I agree with molly. The dish is really looking delicious and yummy. Hope my wife will make this pasta))

[Dmitriy]

It looks really yummy. Hope my girlfriend can make pasta the way you did it)))

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Dmitriy.

[Gata da Plar Mony]

Che meraviglia! Sei bravissima Simo! <3

[Simona Carini]

Grazie Monia. Questi sono davvero divertenti da fare.