In her preface to the
English-language edition of the Encyclopedia
of Pasta [2009], Oretta Zanini De Vita writes that her compendium documents
“the traditional shapes of Italian pasta—the long, the short, the layered, the
rolled, the stretched, and the stuffed.” I’ve read this outstanding book
cover-to-cover many times over. I’ll even (sheepishly) admit to having two
copies: one kept in the kitchen and the other by my bed stand. Yes, the book
serves as both as an excellent reference guide and riveting nighttime reading.
One shape in the Encyclopedia of Pasta has always fascinated
me: fusi istriani, an origami-like
triangular pasta from Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The first time I
came across Luciana Marini’s beautiful illustration of this pasta in Zanini De
Vita’s book, I admired fusi istriani’s
graceful, curvy shape and wondered: Wow! How do you make this?! Although Zanini
De Vita briefly describes how each shape in her book is traditionally formed,
this information barely qualifies—and was never intended to serve—as a complete
recipe. In the case of fusi istriani,
Zanini De Vita writes: “[t]he flour is sifted onto a wooden board and kneaded
long and vigorously with many eggs. The dough, which must be firm and smooth,
is left to rest then rolled out with a rolling pin into a sheet. Small
triangles are cut from it, and two points of each triangle are pressed together.”
What I love about this
description is that although brief it still gives you just enough information to
make the shape if you are so inclined. Being so inclined, I carefully considered
Zanini De Vita’s description and tried an experiment or two. Based upon these
efforts, I found two helpful hints to making fusi istriani : (1) working with equilateral triangles and (2)
using a small wooden dowel to help construct the shape (at least to achieve a
diminutive pasta). Here’s the process I followed:
1. Sift 250 grams Caputo
tipo 00 flour into a work bowl. Add 2 medium eggs and 2 medium egg yolks and
mix the dough until it comes together into a rough ball.
2. Turn the dough out of the
bowl onto a work surface and knead the dough for approximately 12 to 15 minutes
to achieve a “firm and smooth” dough. After kneading the dough should weigh
approximately 385 grams. Wrap the kneaded dough in plastic and let it rest on
the work surface for 20 minutes.
3. Cut the dough into
quarters. Working with one-quarter of the dough at a time (keeping the
remaining dough wrapped in plastic), roll the dough to a thickness of
approximately 1 mm. (I roll the dough to setting 3 on an Imperia 220.)
4. Cut the pasta sheets
lengthwise into 1¾-inch strips. Working with one strip at a time (keeping the
other strips covered in plastic), cut the strip into equilateral triangles with
each side measuring approximately 2-inches. Working quickly, orientate a
triangle so that its base is parallel to the front of your body and the
triangle’s apex points away from you. Place a ¼-inch wide wooden dowel
perpendicular to and in the midpoint of the triangle’s base with the dowel’s
tip over the triangle’s center point. Fold the triangle’s left tip up and over
the dowel. Next fold the triangle’s right tip up and over the dowel so it rests
on top of the folded left tip. Press down on the overlapping pasta tips to
seal. Finally, fold the triangle’s top tip on top of the other tips and press
down to seal.
(When cutting out the
triangles you will have leftover pieces of pasta. You can gather these scraps
and knead them together to run through your machine again. Keep the scraps
covered in plastic to prevent them from drying out before kneading.)
5. Cook the fusi istriani in a large pot full of
salty, boiling water. Test the pasta about 2 to 3 minutes after the salted
water returns to a boil after adding the pasta. When the pasta loses its raw
taste yet is still firm to the bite, drain and add the fusi istriani into your ready sauce—the shape is traditionally
served with a hearty ragù—and cook the two together for a minute or so. The
above recipe serves 4 as a main course.
If you want to delve
deeper into the world of fusi istriani—and
who wouldn’t—you will find a variant made by wrapping a pasta square around a
wooden spoon. Zanini De Vita tells us that fusi istriani means “Istrian spindles” so it’s no surprise that you employ
a wooden stick to make both shapes. I like that the curvy fusi istriani is as elegant as the variant, modeled on a kitchen
spoon, is rustic. No matter the shape, we owe Oretta Zanini De Vita a debt of
gratitude for helping to preserve this regional pasta by including it in her
magnificent Encyclopedia of Pasta.
