Busiate is your new favorite pasta shape that you never even knew existed! Originating in Sicily, Busiate take their name from “busa,” the Sicilian word for the stem of a local grass which is used when forming their helical shape. It’s unique shape kind of resembles pieces of old telephone cord. (Yes, I’m old enough to know what those are! lol) It’s formed by twisting strands of pasta dough to create a spiral shape that is hollow on the inside. Nowadays, a thin rod or wooden skewer is used rather than the traditional local grass. Busiate are traditionally served with pesto alla trapanese, a sauce made of almonds, tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Its shape is perfect for picking up the little bits of pesto in every bite!
Handmade Busiate
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 the flour from the inside of the well and incorporate it with the water. Once it starts to come together, 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.
- Cut the dough into 8 chunks and roll each into a long thin rope, about ½ centimeter in diameter. Cut each log into 5 inch long pieces. Place a wooden skewer or very thin piece of wooden dowel at a 45-degree angle at one end of the cylinder and roll, so pasta wraps around the skewer to form a long spiral. Roll back and forth once on the work-surface then gently twist the skewer to remove the Busiate pasta.
- 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.
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