Strozzapreti with pork & saffron sauce

Makes: 4|Cooks In: 1 hour|Difficulty: Easy

“Strozzapreti is a specialty from central Italy. Like cavatelli, it is a traditional pasta made without eggs, but it has a different shape. The dough is rolled through a pasta machine, a little at a time. As the sheet of pasta emerges from the machine, allow it to drop flat onto your work surface and cut it vertically into 1 cm strips. Each strip of pasta is then rolled between the palms of your hands to create a sort of corkscrew shape. Keep the pasta covered with a damp tea towel to stop it drying out, especially on hot days. The word ‘strozzapreti’ means ‘priest stranglers’. In the anti-clerical central part of Italy – once under the rule of the Papacy – the local priest was not a welcome guest! He was yet another mouth to feed on top of the already hungry family. A meal of flour and water was probably likely to ‘choke’ him. It is traditional to serve strozzapreti with Bolognese sauce, but I encourage people to try this delicious sauce made with pork mince or sausage, some diced zucchini and a touch of saffron.”

Strozzapreti with pork and saffron sauce

Ingredients

pasta
500 g strong white flour
about 1 cup hot milk

pork and saffron sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
300 g Salame (page 23) or pork sausage mince
2 small zucchini, diced
125 ml cream
8 threads saffron, softened in a little warm water
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan

Method

Pasta

Step 1

To make the Pasta, combine the flour and hot milk in a bowl or on the bench and mix until the dough is a smooth and elastic ball. The dough may take a little kneading to come together.

Step 2

Rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Set up your pasta machine. Cut off a small piece of dough, push it through setting 1, then setting 3, and finally, setting 7, until the pasta is about 2 mm thick.

Step 3

Cut the pasta into strips of about 1 cm x 5 cm. Roll each strip between the palms of your hands so that each piece of pasta rolls in on itself like a little corkscrew.

Sauce

Step 1

To make the Sauce, heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based pan and fry the salame or pork mince, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

Step 2

Add the zucchini and sauté until the meat and zucchini are cooked through.

Step 3

Add the cream and saffron with its soaking liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little more hot water if necessary.

Step 4

Cook the strozzapreti in plenty of boiling salted water.

Step 5

When you are ready to serve, toss the strozzapreti in the pork and saffron sauce. If it seems a little dry, drizzle in a little extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with freshly grated cheese.

Strozzapreti with pork & saffron sauce

Ingredients

Method

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