A Voyage into the Pasta Universe with Gluten-Free Pestazzule, Mafaldine, and Stringozzi #SundayFunday

October is National Pasta Month and I am hosting the Sunday Funday writers for a virtual pasta party.

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, and I coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired.

The Sunday Funday Pasta Party

• A Voyage into the Pasta Universe with Gluten-Free Pestazzule, Mafaldine, and Stringozzi by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Pasta alla Norcina by Amy's Cooking Adventures

• Pumpkin Gnocchi by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Spaetzle by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

• Vegetarian Rice Roni With Homemade Rice Roni Mix by Sneha's Recipe

Not the Correct Answer...

Throughout my boys' childhood, whenever they would ask "What's for dinner?" At least two times a week the answer would be "Pasta!" because I learned to cook in Italy and because pasta is so easy and versatile.

The follow-up question would always be "What kind of pasta?" And that is where we diverged.

I would always answer with the shape of the pasta I was making - spaghetti, linguine, orechiette, or whatever. What they really meant was "What are you putting on the pasta?" as in meat ragù, pesto, alfredo, or whatever. And they were always quick to tell me that my response was not the correct answer to the question they asked.

So. what do you think the proper answer is to the question: What kind of pasta are you making?

Are you like me in that the important part of the pasta is the shape? Or do you agree that important part of the pasta dish is the sauce or topping? I have a sense that most people are going to say the sauce. But, when you are making the pasta by hand, it seems that should get top billing!

My Own Pasta Parade

I already mentioned that I made (and continue to make) pasta a lot. Here are a few of my previous pasta dishes with handmade pasta: Handrolled Pasta alla Gricia; Homemade, Handrolled Garganelli; and Crab-Stuffed Ravioli.

...and a few with pre-made pasta: Pasta al Polpo; Pasta Carbonara; and Spaghetti all'Aragosta.

My most oft-requested pasta dish: lasagna!

For today's event, I pulled out my Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita (Amazon affiliate link).

A Voyage into the Pasta Universe with Gluten-Free Pestazzule, Mafaldine, and Stringozzi

I used my own gluten-free pasta recipe, then looked for some shapes that I could make without pulling out my pasta machine.

Gluten-Free Pasta

• 2 to 3 cups gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)

• 4 eggs

• 2 Tablespoon green olive paste

• 1/4 teaspoon smoked sea salt flakes

Place all of the dry ingredients in a mound on a clean workspace. Use an egg to form a hollow in the dry ingredients; it will look like a volcano. Add the wet ingredients to the hollow. Use a fork to beat the wet ingredients into the dry to form a scraggy dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, approximately 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for, at least, 30 minutes at room temperature.

Then I used the same dough to create three different shapes of pasta...

Pestazzule

This is similar to orechiette (little ears), but slightly larger and more flat. It hails from Puglia with this name. From around Foggia, it is referred to as pizzarrelle.

I served my pestazzule tossed with marinated goat cheese and a generous grinder of fresh black pepper.

Mafaldine

These are long ribbons with curled or cut edges and are found all over Italy. The name literally means 'little (Princess) Malfada'; this shape was first produced in 1902 the birth year of Princess Mafalda, the daughter of Vittorio Emanuele III.

I served my mafaldine tossed with marinated artichokes, olives, and fresh herbs. Then I added in a drizzle of Smoked Olive Oil from local-to-me The Quail & Olive.

Stringozzi

Some people believe that the name refers to the name stringa which means 'shoelace'. This shape of pasta is found in Umbria, especially Spoleti and Foligno, all the way to northern Lazio,

I served my stringozzi with a homemade lamb ragù.

That's a wrap for my #SundayFunday offering. We will be back next week for a hunter-gatherer event, sharing recipes that include wild game or foraged ingredients.