Baked pasta. A strand of pasta twirled around iron: this was the most common way women used to prepare fusilli and indeed one of the most appreciated in the whole Peninsula, from north to south. Their tapered shape perfectly encapsulates the dressing, both vegetable and meat based. Perhaps it’s this very feature that has always made them so loved. At the foot of Vesuvius, the volcano that dominates the Sorrento Coast, they are served with two magnificent regional gastronomical delights: mozzarella and tomato, which become fusilli alla vesuviana.
How a fusillo is created
Kneaded with durum wheat semolina and water, the fusilli took shape thanks to the skillful hands of housewives who twisted small pieces of dough around a thin traditional wire with a square base, similar to the spinners' spindle. All of this happened before two Italian immigrants in New York designed a machine to produce them in the early twentieth century, completely identical to those we now know. The bronze die extrusion gives this pasta a coarse and thick consistency, making it a better surface for the sauces to cling to.
Tomato and mozzarella, two Neapolitan delights
Created almost by chance, long and stringy, scented with milk – this is the magic of mozzarella! A cheese envied by the whole world, which was revealed in the 12th century in a monastery in Capua when monks tried conserving milk and created this delicacy instead. The name derives from the verb "mozzare" which means to cut into parts. An indispensable ingredient for many traditional dishes, and the undisputed queen of pizza together with tomatoes which, in this part of Italy have an unforgettable taste and smell. Cherry tomatoes, plum tomato, pizzutelli, ramati (vine tomato), there are many varieties grown in this part of Italy all suitable to make Vesuvian fusilli. The secret to a fuller and faultless flavor? Just slightly cook them!
Baked Fusilli Pasta Recipe
Ingredients for 6 people
1 lb 8 oz fusilli, 1 lb 8 oz pizzutelli tomatoes, 7 oz mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, 7 oz grated pecorino Romano cheese, 3 oz oregano, salt, pepper.
Method
Put some oil in a pan, add the tomatoes, washed and cut into pieces, the sliced mozzarella, pecorino cheese, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes. In the meantime boil the fusilli in plenty of salted water. One minute before the end of the cooking time, drain them and put them in the pan with the tomatoes and mozzarella, so that they can be cooked again. After one minute remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle with a pinch of oregano and pour everything into a baking pan. Bake the pasta at 400° F for 5 minutes and then serve the steaming Vesuvian fusilli.