In the past, Fusilli were made by hand according to a method that was passed down from one generation to the next. You had to rapidly twist a strand of spaghetti around a knitting needle with a skilled hand. The ability required to perform this procedure is reminiscent of that of spinners and as a matter of fact, the term "fusillo" comes from "fuso" (spindle) which was the tool used by spinners. This pasta is particularly good with meat and fish based sauces or with condiments made with ricotta. It is also perfect with vegetable sauces too that are prepared with a tomato sauce with peppers, aubergines, olives and capers.
Gnocchi is a typical dish in the tradition of Italian cooking that in different regions may differ in the shape and size of the dough. De Cecco offers you a tasty product originating from the classic recipe that combines selected potatoes and wheat flour. The difference is they only take 2 minutes to cook. Their various shapes are designed to make them the perfect choice for preparing attractive dishes every day.
It has long been one of the most well-known and popular types of pasta in Italian cooking, and the simplest and most commonly used recipe calls for a ragù, béchamel and parmesan, although mozzarella has also been introduced more recently.
Still Produced using the same and unchanged Traditional Method since 1886 Specially Selected Wheat, Natural Spring Water Direct from Source, Slow Dried at Low Temperature and Produced with Bronze Die. Retains all Organoleptic Properties, high in Protein
Orecchiette (little ears), also known as "strascicati", are a typical pasta shape from the Apulia culinary tradition. The shape is a round disc with a slight indent in the centre. In the culinary tradition of Apulia of home-made pasta, orecchiette were made with white flour, durum wheat semolina and water. After the pasta dough had been cut into small pieces, it was "dragged" ("strascicati" in Italian) with the tip of a knife to create a sort of small shell, then pulled back with the tip of the thumb.
Penne Rigate are part of the short, diagonal cut, ridged pasta family and are one of the most well-known type of pasta, as well as being the most versatile in the kitchen.
In Italian, the term "Penne" refers to the goose feather which was used historically to write with and was cut on a diagonal to achieve a really thin tip. The shape, obtained from a pasta tube, can be smooth or ridged, of varying length and has the typical diagonal cut of a quill. Penne Rigate are perfect for preparing oven-baked pasta or pasta dishes served with meat sauces made from pork or beef. This pasta is equally as good with vegetable based sauces and more in general, due to its versatility, for any recipe from the Mediterranean tradition, such as the classic condiment with tomato, basil, extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan. A classic combination is with Arrabbiata sauce.
Rigatoni, which is a typical type of traditional pasta from Rome, have the characteristic ridged external surface and a large diameter and thickness.
The shape is particularly versatile and is perfect with a variety of tomato or vegetable sauces, but the best condiments are sauces made from meat: slow-cooked sauces with meat and mushrooms, made from beef and pork, sausage or giblets. The recipe with pajata (calf intestines) is a classic dish.
Any type of sauce that is sufficiently liquid to get inside the pasta and be trapped by the ridges is recommended.
Historically, official mention of the term "spaghetto" can be traced back to the first dictionary of the Italian language by Nicolò Tommaseo and Bernardo Bellini (1819). The word "spaghetto" was included as the "masculine singular diminutive of spago (thread)" and mention is made of "Minestra di Spaghetti" (spaghetti soup) which is pasta the size of a long, thin thread such as sopracapellini". An interesting fact: in 1957, the BBC aired the first documentary on the production of spaghetti and the day after, the television studios were inundated by phone calls from viewers asking for the name of the producers and distributors of spaghetti so they could buy some.
Spaghetti is so versatile that it can be served with any condiment, from fish to meat, from vegetables to cheese, but is also excellent served just with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan.
