Doughs:
Sauces:
What they are
A medieval-era pasta from central Italy that always makes me smile. The name means “priest stranglers” and they take many forms, from the short twists here to gnocchi-like dumplings made with spinach and other greens.
Strozzapreti have several origin stories. One tells of a priest gone hunting without food or supplies. Ravenous upon returning home for dinner, he swallowed his pasta whole and started to choke, saved only when a merciful servant struck him in the back. Another is a story of spite: In centuries past, the Catholic church rented much of its land to farmers, and as a form of payment, the priests demanded the farmers’ wives prepare pasta for them. Angered by their greed, the farmers wished the priests would choke on their wives’ creations! Whatever the truth may be, this pasta—brought to life by loose, spontaneous movement—reminds me of the beauty of imperfection.
How they’re traditionally served
With various local sauces depending on the form, and particularly tomato and seafood sauces.
MAKE THE DOUGH
Make your dough of choice and let it rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 1 hour—a completely relaxed dough will make for easier rolling.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE
Dust a sheet pan with semolina or line it with a dry dishcloth. Gather your tools. Set up your pasta machine if you plan to use one.
ROLL THE DOUGH INTO A SHEET
Cut off a quarter of the dough and keep the rest covered.
Roll the dough by hand: With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin disc or rectangle—it doesn’t matter if the shape is uneven. You’re aiming for about 1.5 mm thick but do the best you can. It’s helpful to do this on a wooden surface to keep the pasta from sticking; if you don’t have one, dust the sheet with 00, all-purpose, or semola flour as needed.
Or, roll the dough with a pasta machine: Roll the dough into a semi-thin sheet, stopping at setting 5 for both the Marcato Atlas 150 and KitchenAid machines. If the dough is at all sticky as it goes through the machine, or the sheet starts to tear on the surface, dust both sides with a little flour. CUT THE SHEET INTO STRIPS Cut the pasta sheet into 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide ribbons; it’s totally fine if they’re different lengths.
MAKE THE STROZZAPRETI
Position one end of each ribbon in the center of your non-dominant palm. Pinch the top a little to help get a grip and then, starting with the fingertips of your free hand, roll the dough upward quickly and lightly until your fingertips meet and the ribbon twists on itself to form a rustic spiral (the motion is like rubbing your hands together when they’re cold). To make longer strozzapreti, reposition your hands at the end of the twist and repeat the motion once more. Pinch off the twisted portion and continue the motion until the strip is gone. The length of the strozzapreti will depend on the size of your hand, but in general they’ll be 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) long. They’ll all look different, and that’s the beauty of it!
Arrange the finished strozzapreti in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining ribbons, and then the remaining dough.
COOK THE PASTA
Cook the strozzapreti until tender but with some bite, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their thickness.
