I’m super excited to be kicking off my “Perfecting Pasta” series today across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Each week I’m making a unique handmade pasta on Tuesday and a perfectly paired sauce to serve it with on Wednesday. I’ve spent the past few weeks perfecting the art of pasta, which meant me and my family have literally been eating pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner most days! I’ve found that while some shapes may be challenging at first, the overall process of learning and practicing is quite relaxing.
I’m kicking this series off with Handmade Trofie. A short, thin, twisted pasta from Liguria, Northern Italy, Trofie is loved by locals but unheard of in most parts of the world. Forming the shape is easy to learn but difficult to master. I thought Trofie was an excellent place to start because even if you screw it up, the result will still be close enough that no one will be complaining! Forming the shape takes a special diagonal rubbing of the dough with the edge of your palm against the work-surface that, with some practice, forms a beautiful twisted shape, perfect for picking up pesto sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 cup semolina flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ - ½ cup boiling water
Instructions
- Pour the semolina four onto a clean work surface. Using your hand make a well in the center of the flour. Sprinkle on the salt followed by the olive oil into the center. Pour in ⅓ cup of the boiling hot water then use a fork to bring in flour from the inside of the well and incorporate with the water. Once it starts to come together into a dough, knead with your hands until it comes together into a ball of dough. If it is too dry, add some more water until it is malleable and slightly soft, but not sticky to the touch.
- Rip off little balls of dough the size of a chickpea. On a wooden surface, rub the ball with your palm forward to flatten into a rope then using the outside edge of your hand rub the dough back towards you on a diagonal to form the twisted shape. Getting the technique down takes a few tries so I suggest watching my video (above) to see the correct technique to use.
- If cooking your pasta shortly after making, store on a floured baking sheet. If saving pasta for later use, place on a floured baking sheet and flip periodically to ensure even drying. After a few hours, if it is completely dry, store in an airtight container for up to a month.
