Anyone who has been to Umbria has probably tasted umbricelli spaghetti at least once; it’s a fresh pasta typical of this region, ideal for a simple and very tasty first course.
Umbricelli is a pasta variety reminiscent of spaghetti – though it’s a little bit larger and definitely shorter than the original version of spaghetti. They look a bit like pici toscani, a pasta variety from Umbria’s “neighbor,” Tuscany, but their shape is slightly wider and thicker. Traditionally, umbricelli are dressed with a simple tomato sauce and a generous sprinkling of grated pecorino cheese.
The Recipe: Homemade Spaghetti from Umbria (‘Umbricelli’)
Ingredients:
For the pasta
2 cups of flour
1 ½ cups of durum wheat flour
Water and salt
For the sauce
1 cup tomato purée
1 garlic clove
Salt
Parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
Grated pecorino cheese
Method:
Make the homemade spaghetti by kneading the two flours on a flat surface. Then add salt and water – little by little. The mixture must be very smooth, without any lumps or irregularities. Once ready, let the dough rest covered with a cloth for about 20 minutes before rolling it out using a rolling pin.
The ideal thickness for this homemade spaghetti is about 9-10 mm that you will cut into strips and work with your hands to get the typical umbricelli shape and size. After shaping the pasta, let it rest for about an hour on a pastry board sprinkled with flour and prepare the sauce.
Fry the garlic and chopped parsley in a saucepan with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomato purée, seasoning with salt. The sauce should cook for about 20 minutes.
Then cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water. Drain them while they are still al dente and stir-fry them with the sauce for a few minutes. Sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese, stir again and serve.