Handmade fusilli pasta recipe
This recipe for handmade fusilli pasta has been kindly shared by Calabrian-born, Australian based chef Adelina Fiorito Pulford. This recipe was passed down to her by her Calabrian mother, Vincenza.
“The pasta recipe is simple, made with a blend of plain flour, semola rimacinata, one egg, and enough warm water to bind the dough, not too hard not too soft, just right, it’s quite an art. Rolling each strand of past with a wooden skewer or a knitting needle is daunting but can be done. In my 2nd book, Recipes from my Italian Table, I have given specific measurements for the warm water, and it works well. This recipe is a combination of my mother’s skill and my skills as a chef to find a way to reproduce such a recipe that’s no longer fashionable or might be considered too hard. This has always been my approach to food”, says Fiorito Pulford.
To learn more about Adelina and her bestselling cookbooks, read her Foodie Profile here. Adelina has included her handmade fusilli recipe in both English and Italian.
Handmade Calabrian fusilli pasta recipe
250g “00” flour
250g semolina
1 egg
180ml warm water
Mix the flours and the egg in the electric mixer, mix for 2 minutes then add the water a little at a time, until the dough comes together, wrap it up in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
When ready to roll the pasta, cut a small piece of dough and roll into long strips like a thin rope, then cut strips about 7cm long and place the knitting needle on the strip of dough making sure the dough is wrapped around the knitting needle. Roll the knitting needle with the dough in a rolling motion backwards and forwards, thus stretching the dough, it should cover the whole length of the knitting needle, then pull the fusillo delicately from the knitting needle and put on a tray covered with a tea towel. Sprinkle with semolina, proceed in this fashion until all the dough has been used.
Cook the fusilli in a large pot with boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes; this pasta is traditionally served with a tomato & meat sauce.
Ricetta fusilli calabresi fatti a mano (ricetta in italiano/recipe in Italian)
250g farina “00”
250g semolina
Un uovo intero
180ml di acqua tiepida
Mescolate le due farine nel mixer con l’uovo per 2 minuti, poi aggiungete l’acqua un po’ alla volta fino a quando l’impasto comincia a rassodarsi.
Mettete l’impasto nella pellicola e mettete in frigo per 30 minuti.
Quando siete pronti per tirare i fusilli, levate la pasta dal frigo, staccate dei piccoli pezzetti e formate dei bastoncini lunghi e grossi come un dito, circa 7cm.
Avvolgeteli a spirale intorno a un ferro da calza e stendetela con le palme delle mani, senza premere troppo sopra la pasta, sfilateli delicatamente e metteteli sopra un canovaccio infarinato.
Continuate in questo modo fino a quando avrete usato tutto l’impasto.
Fate cuocere i fusilli in una pentola capace per dieci minuti, scolate e condite con un buon sugo di carne.
To order Adelina’s cookbooks, head to: www.adelinaskitchen.com.au
