What could be better than fresh homemade pasta? It just tastes so good when it’s made with only the highest-quality ingredients, which we usually have on hand at home. Not to mention it’s fun! Getting your hands in the pasta dough can be a relaxing and satisfying activity. It always feels good to create something with your own hands – for kids and adults alike. And yes, we know: It takes time. But the results are always worth it. Every time.
So, without further ado: We’ve got the recipe to make homemade strascinati. Ever heard of this particular variety of pasta? Originating in Puglia and Basilicata, this pasta variety is similar to orecchiette, but with a larger format. Strascinati are so-called because the fingers must "drag" the piece of pasta dough (‘trascinare’ in Italian) to make the pasta shape until it has its characteristic oblong and concave shape.
If you want to try your hand at making them, read the steps for our recipe below. And if you want some extra ideas on which sauces to combine with the pasta, check out the photo gallery above!
How to make homemade strascinati pasta
Ingredients:
400 g durum wheat flour
Warm water
Salt to taste
Method:
On a pastry board, form the typical flour fountain, adding the lukewarm slowly to the crater in the center. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes for a smooth, even dough. Cover the dough with a cotton cloth and let rest for half an hour. Then shape the pasta: Taking a handful of dough at a time, roll them into long snakes, from which you’ll cut 3 cm chunks.
Now comes the fun part: Take a small piece of dough and with your index, middle, and ring finger, drag the dough it until completely stretched out. Don’t press too hard to prevent holes from forming in the dough. Before boiling, leave the strascinati to rest for about 15 minutes. Then cook them in boiling water: Once they rise to the surface, they’re ready to be drained and served.
For our favorite pairings with strascinati pasta, check out the photo gallery above!