Trofie pasta is one of the most renowned dishes from all of Liguria even if its origin traces back to a small village on the east coast of Genoa, Sori. Trofie pasta is a must for anyone who loves pesto and fresh pasta. And like all kinds of fresh pasta they can also be prepared at home. Want to give it a try?
Trofie pasta – a tasty ancient tradition
Trofie is a pasta that Ligurian women have always made at home thanks to the fact that only three ingredients are needed to prepare them: water, semolina, and salt. Once upon a time, their particular and elongated shape was obtained with a wooden knitting iron, along which a small piece of pasta was rolled and then flattened with the palm of the hand. Now the production is mostly industrial with specialist machinery. Trying to make them at home as always, delivers that very special taste.
Trofie pasta - use Semolina not flour
Homemade trofie pasta recipe requires the use of semolina and not flour. But what's the difference between the two? And can they be recognized? Flour is the result of milling soft wheat, while semolina comes from milling durum wheat. The former has a more roundish shape and crumblier consistency whilst durum wheat, on the other hand, has a more elongated shape and is actually harder. The flours derived from these two grains also show other differences; the first has a whiter color and is softer to the touch, the second, however, has a more yellow color and is grainier.
Homemade Trofie Pasta Recipe
For 6 people:
Place 3 cups of semolina into a mound on the table, add a pinch of salt and as much water as necessary to obtain a homogeneous and elastic dough.
Adding it a little at a time. Knead the dough for ten minutes and then let it rest outside the refrigerator for about 30 minutes covered with a cloth.
Then take off some pieces as big as marble and with the palm of your hand roll them on the pastry board obtaining some twisted dumplings, with the being ends thinner than the central part.
Throw them in a pot with boiling water and salt and let them cook for 4 minutes and then drain them, keeping a little cooking water, which you will need to dilute the pesto.
Discover more tips for the perfect trofie pasta in our Tutorial!