Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68592
CATEGORY SPOTLIGHT You Say Spaghetti, We Say Strozzapreti T raditional artisanal pasta cuts typically found only in Italy are gaining recognition and popularity in the United States. Below is a sampling of some of the hundreds of lesser-known pasta cuts now appearing on specialty retailer shelves. BIGOLI: hearty, thick, spaghetti-like pasta from Veneto; best served with anchovies and green sauce or with a duck ragu. CANDELE: Italian for "candle," the shape of which this Gragnano-made pasta resembles; thick, with a wide hole in its center. Typically mixed with eggplant, tomato and smoked mozzarella for a casserole, or with a béchamel and fresh peas. CORZETTI (CROXETTI): coin-shaped Ligurian pasta known as wedding pasta; embossed on both sides with a hand-stamped traditional design—usually the crests of families being joined through marriage. Recommended sauce: olive oil and cheese. FREGULA: Sardinia-made pasta similar to couscous but with a rougher texture; lightly toasted, giving it a nutty flavor. Formed into small round balls about the size of pearl couscous for use in soups and stews. A traditional Sardinian recipe uses clams and broth. FUSILLI NAPOLETANI (FUSILLI CALABRESE): thick, tight spirals the length of spaghetti that open slightly when cooked; not to be confused with fusilli bucati, which has been stateside for decades. Best with a simple San Marzano tomato sauce. MALLOREDDUS: half-inch ridged pastas from Sardinia resembling small worms; also known in Sardinia as gnocchi, though unrelated to the familiar dumplings. Best served with a boar ragout or melted butter sauce. PACCHERI: large, unridged rigatoni-style tubular pasta from Campagna, about an inch in diameter. They collapse when cooked, trapping inside whatever sauce is being used. The name means "slaps," because they supposedly make a noise like a slap when lifted with a fork. Best served stuffed or with chunky sauces. PICI: fat, hand-rolled spaghetti from Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions. Recommended sauce: ragout made with mushrooms, beef, pork or game. RICCIOLI: seashell shape, but tighter and more distinctive; from Naples. Traditionally served with eggplant, mozzarella di bufala and tomato. Can also be served with sausage, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. STRINGOZZI: a narrow ribbon wheat pasta from Umbria that's chewier and thicker than spaghetti. The name is drawn from its resemblance to shoelaces, as stringhe is Italian for "strings." Best served with local black truffles, ragout or tomato-based sauce. STROZZAPRETI (STRANGLOLAPRETI): twisted tubular pasta resembling a rolled towel, from Emilia-Romagna; the name, which literally means "priest stranglers" or "priest chokers", dates back centuries when it was common practice in Italy to let priests eat for free in restaurants and homes. According to legend, some restaurateurs, wishing the "freeloaders" would choke on the pasta course before getting to the more expensive meat and fish courses, would roll a shape that might get lodged in the priest's throat. Best served with ragout Bolognese—but enjoy with caution. TAJARIN: egg pasta in the tagliatelle family from Piedmont with a French influence. Best with a ragout or simple brown butter and sage sauce. TROFIE: pasta from Liguria shaped by rolling on a flat surface until forming a rounded length with tapered ends, then twisted into its final shape. Best served with pesto and olive oil. TROFIETTE: thinner trofie from Liguria. Also best served with pesto and olive oil. 118 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com Pici PHOTO: BIGSTOCK