Strozzapreti And Pici Recipes

STROZZAPRETI

Steps:

• Put the flour on a worktable. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the tomatoes, egg, and salt. Combine together and knead until the mixture becomes an even dough. If the mixture becomes too wet, add more flour, if it becomes too dry, add more tomato juice.
• Sprinkle the work surface with a little flour. Cut a quarter of the dough and roll the dough flat. Cut the dough into strips 1/2-inch wide and then each strip about 2 to 3-inches long. Using your thumb and index finger, gently pinch the width of the dough strip, and then roll out. Repeat the above process until all the dough is used up. Cover up any excess dough with a cloth to prevent it from drying, if you are not using it immediately.
• Put the dough-strips on a lightly floured board and then add to a pot of boiling salted water. Stir to prevent the pasta from sticking together and drain when the pasta floats to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.
• To make the sauce: Add the olive oil, chopped rosemary, and Parmigiano cheese to a cold saucepan. Add the cooked strozzapreti to the saucepan with a 1/4 cup pasta water and mix well.

STROZZAPRETI WITH ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• For the sauce: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oil and 4 minced garlic cloves. Toss well, then spread tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Roast until soft and collapsing, about 45 minutes; do not allow to dry or brown. Meanwhile, in a food processor combine remaining minced garlic, cheese, and basil or parsley. Process until very finely chopped. When tomatoes are soft, immediately spread cheese-herb mixture on top and lightly mash with a spoon so cheese melts. Drizzle with 2 more tablespoons oil, and set aside.
• For the strozzapreti: On a wooden counter or large cutting board, mound 1 cup flour and make a well in center. Break eggs into well. Using your hands, mix eggs in well, gradually pulling in more and more flour to make a pasty dough. Knead dough briefly, using lightly floured hands if dough is very wet; it should be moist but not sticky.
• Scrape wooden board clean. Using a wooden rolling pin (and a very light dusting of flour if necessary), roll dough out as thinly as possible into an approximate rectangle. Using a knife, score rectangle into strips an inch wide and about three inches long. Pick up one piece of dough and press it around a bamboo meat skewer about the diameter of an umbrella spoke. This is most successful if done quickly and not too carefully, so that dough fits tightly round skewer with an overlapping, visible seam. Slide skewer out of pasta and set pasta aside on a plate. Repeat to use remaining dough. Pieces should be irregular in size and shape.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. If desired, return baking sheet of tomatoes to a 300-degree oven just to reheat. Add strozzapreti to pot and cook until tender, slightly chewy and no longer raw in center. This is best done by tasting after strozzapreti float to surface; be careful not to under- or overcook. Drain cooked pasta and pour into a large bowl; immediately add tomatoes. Toss quickly and serve hot.

STROZZAPRETI AND PICI

Steps:

• Make pasta acqua e farina with all-purpose flour, adding a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the dough. If desired, add an egg (and reduce the starting amount of water by 4 tablespoons). You can also replace half the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of durum wheat flour.
• When the dough has rested, pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and, using both hands, roll and stretch each piece into long, thick irregular spaghetti. If desired, pinch off less dough and make a shorter shape. Just try to make them as uniform as possible so they will cook evenly.